Bureau of Customs to beat February collection target

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is expecting lower revenue collections in February amid slower trade, as exporters from China typically ship goods a month in advance of the Chinese New Year.

In an interview with the Inquirer, BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the agency is targeting P70.3 billion collections for February, lower than the P80.231 billion target in January.

As of Feb. 20, Nepomuceno said collections have already surpassed P60 billion.

“It’s still doable. Our challenge now is our IT (information technology) clogging every last week of the month,” he said.

“So what we’re doing is that, anything that has nothing do with payments are not allowed to use the IT system for the meantime,” Nepomuceno added.

A similar issue occurred in January due to technical slowdowns in the system and logistical issues at the ports. Despite this, the agency was able to collect P80.744 billion in revenues—about P513 million in surplus—after exceeding its target and posting a 100.6-percent revenue collection efficiency rate.

On the logistics side, Nepomuceno said efficiency will depend on accurate assessment, combined with practical measures and a “commissioner’s lunch” with collectors to nudge and oversee performance.

“It boils down to right assessment. You have to make the correct assessment. Meaning, no misdeclaration and misrepresentation,” he said.

Earlier, Nepomuceno told reporters that their monthly revenue target would hover around P82 billion to P84 billion, and that they are aiming to generate a surplus each month to offset any potential shortfalls later in the year.

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The agency will return to its P80 billion target in March.

Asked whether the BOC would still set higher internal targets beyond the Development Budget Coordination Committee’s goal, Nepomuceno said they are now aligning directly with the P1.003-trillion program.

“I don’t want to do a white lie to my officers. Fake targets will backfire. Whatever the DBCC imposed, that’s it,” he said.

Nepomuceno has since responded to Finance Secretary Frederick Go’s challenge for the agency to reach the long-elusive P1 trillion target, saying it is challenging but still reasonable and achievable.