MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) said Friday it had breached its revenue collection target for January with more than P70 billion.
The BOC, in a statement, said it had initially set its revenue goal at P62.911 billion for the first month of the year, but this was surpassed by 11.79 percent as it collected a total of P70.327 billion in January.
This, it noted, was 20.53 percent or P11.89 billion higher than the P58.346 billion revenue the BOC collected in January last year.
According to the agency, it conducted 36 apprehensions and confiscated some P908.137 million worth of contraband items this month.
Among these were P794.463 million worth of smuggled agricultural products and illicit drugs valued at P104.833 million.
Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz said this was a result of their bolstered border protection measures, as well as the strengthening of the BOC anti-smuggling program.
Earlier, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who concurrently sits as chief of the Department of Agriculture, said his administration was looking into digitalizing the BOC to curb rampant smuggling in the country.
Widespread smuggling, according to Marcos, was the reason behind soaring prices of onions and other agricultural commodities.
– with reports from Kimberly D. Albaño, INQUIRER.net intern
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