Capiz rep: Abolish Customs

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BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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February 10, 2018
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MANILA – Rep. Fredenil Castro (2nd District, Capiz) sought the abolition of the controversy-marred Bureau of Customs.

Castro wanted it replaced with the Customs Development Authority (CDA), the lawmaker stated in House Bill No. 7126.

The bureau has been mired in various issues, including the smuggling into the country of P6.4 billion worth of shabu last year amid the government crackdown on illegal drugs.

“While the current BOC (Bureau of Customs) contributed significantly to the economic development of the country, corruption has been very much a part of the agency’s culture,” said the deputy House speaker.

According to Castro, the Customs bureau has been “consistently” on top of “surveys on the most bureaucratic and corrupt government offices.”

And “it is much publicized that the government is losing a huge amount of much needed revenue due to corruption,” he said.

Castro proposed that the CDA shall have general jurisdiction and control over all customs services.

It shall supervise, regulate, and exercise powers and functions such as assessment and collection of customs revenues from imported goods and other dues.

Moreover, it shall simplify and harmonize customs procedures, prevent the entry of smuggled goods through border control, suppress smuggling and other customs fraud, and ensure the security of international trade and commerce through an informed compliance program.

The CDA shall be “allowed to outsource or privatize some administrative functions of the Authority, subject to some terms and conditions to curtail customs bureaucracy and corruption,” to “promote competition and encourage private participation in customs operations,” Castro said.

If established, the CDA shall be managed by a Board of Directors headed by the Department of Finance secretary./PN
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