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The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Saturday said at least P12 billion worth of smuggled items have been seized this year

Customs Assistant Commissioner Vincent Maronilla said in a briefing that in the first half of 2021 alone, an estimated P10-billion worth of smuggled items were seized, surpassing the total amount collected in 2020.

The BOC was able to seize P10.6 billion last year based on the 997 operations they conducted. 

Maronilla said they were able to collect P1 billion in September alone, the highest in its history. 

“‘Yung aming collection last month, ang surplus sa aming target ay higit P1 bilyon… ito po ay resulta ng mga sistemang ipinatupad ng leadership ng Bureau of Customs… at paghihigpit ng aming mga tauhan na nangongolekta sa iba’t ibang mga puwerto,” Maronilla explained. 

“Kami po ay very much conscious na nangangailangan ang ating pamahalaan ng additional pondo para labanan itong pandemyang ating kinakaharap,” he added.

In late September, the bureau destroyed P7.4 billion worth of shredded counterfeit goods which were seized from a Pasay City storage area.

Most of the items, which range from clothes with designer labels to personal care items, were from China, costing the Philippine government an estimated P700 million in lost revenues, said the BOC.

Maronilla also attributed the development to strengthened anti-corruption efforts at the bureau.

The regular data they release to the public would attest to their commitment against corruption, which has been recognized even by the private sector, he said.

“Malaki ang tingin naming improvement sa aspetong ‘yan (anti-corruption). In fact, ito po ay makikita niyo sa magandang revenue performance ng BOC at border protection performance,” he said.

“‘Yung mga numero at datos na aming isasapubliko… ay ‘yan ang aming gagamiting batayan para tingnan kung ang mga programa namin… pati sa pag-iimprove ng kalagayan ng integridad ng ating mga tauhan ay gumagana at epektibo.”

The official said they would continue implementing reforms to improve their service and transparency.