Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III arrives at Office of the Commission for the 119th anniversary celebration of the Bureau of Customs.
MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs celebrated its 119th founding anniversary on Tuesday with the theme “Makabagong Aduana, Matatag na Ekonomiya” (Modern Customs, Strong Economy) to stress its steadfast resolve to continue giving efficient service as it strives to achieve a world-class customs administration.
To achieve this, it will keep improving its revenue collection, strengthen its border protection, and enhance trade facilitation, according to a statement.
Meanwhile, the bureau held its anniversary celebration at the grounds of the Office of the Commissioner at Port Area in Manila.
Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Undersecretary Antonette Tionko of the Department of Finance attended the event.
Among the highlights of the celebration was the destruction of forfeited vehicles and the recognition of the bureau’s top-performing units and its donor-stakeholders.
The Bureau of Customs destroys forfeited smuggled vehicles in accordance with law. The destruction of the vehicles was witnessed by journalists who attended the event and public through live streaming.
Ten forfeited vehicles were destroyed: a used Ford F-150 Super SVT Can Raptor pick-up, a brand new 2015 Toyota Landcruiser, and a used 2007 Bentley Continental GT. The Manila International Container Port (MICP) seized these vehicles in August 2015, November 2017, and January 2019, respectively.
Also part of the condemnation were five luxury vehicles seized by the Port of Cebu in 2019. These are a 2012 Land Rover, a 2019 Range Rover Evoque, a 2019 Porsche 911, a 2019 Mercedes Benz, and a 2019 Alfa Romeo.
Other condemned vehicles include a brand new Hyundai Starex and a used Renault Black Van seized by the Port of Manila in February 2020.
The destruction of the vehicles – which came from the US, Belgium, Japan, and Korea with an aggregate value of P45.243 million — is the bureau’s warning to all unscrupulous importers to stop them from illegal bringing in vehicles.
The program itself recognized the ports and offices that contributed greatly to revenue generation and anti-smuggling efforts in 2020.
The awardees included the ports of Aparri, Cagayan De Oro, Cebu, Clark, Davao, Subic, Surigao, Tacloban, and Zamboanga.
Anti- smuggling efforts were highlighted through the recognition of the Manila International Container Port (MICP), the Port of Manila and the Port of NAIA.
Also recognized for their contributions on anti-smuggling were the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), the Enforcement and Security Service (ESS), the X-Ray Inspection Project (XIP), the Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force (CAIDTF), and the Environment Protection and Compliance Division (EPCD).
ISO certified ports and offices — such as Subport of Dumaguete and Port of Manila-Customer Care Center — were also awarded.
The Port of Cagayan de Oro was especially recognized for successfully re-exporting illegal South Korean wastes.
Special awards were also given to the Public information and Assistance Division (PIAD) for its role in promoting transparency as well as in complying with the Freedom of Information, and to the Medical and Dental Division for its significant role in ensuring the safety of customs personnel in the discharge of their functions during the COVID-19 pandemic..
Lastly, the U.S. Embassy, the United Nations-World Food Programme (UN-WFP), Nuctech Company Ltd., San Miguel Corp., and Singapore Diagnostics were awarded for their valuable donations to the bureau.
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