BOC reorganizes offices in 19 ports

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) will restructure the organization at 19 of the country’s ports to ensure proper implementation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).

In a Feb. 4 memorandum, Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero said the CMTA emphasized the following three main functions of the BOC: border protection, revenue collection and trade facilitation.

“To effectively carry out these mandates, an organizational and functional realignment should be undertaken by the BOC,” Guerrero said.

“Certain offices will be created, renamed, transferred to another group or collection district, or upgraded or downgraded to avoid redundant and overlapping functions,” the customs chief said.

To achieve “optimal efficiency,” some offices will also be either abolished or merged, he added.

The BOC has already provided a draft of the proposed new BOC organizational structure to district collectors, who were given until the middle of this month to comment.

The restructuring program covers the following ports: Aparri, Batangas, Cebu, Clark, Davao, General Santos, Iloilo, Legaspi, Manila, Mariveles, Puerto Princesa, San Fernando, Subic, Surigao, Tacloban, Zamboanga, as well as the Manila International Container Port, Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Mindanao International Container Terminal.

The organizational restructuring was among the 10 priority programs for 2019 earlier identified by Guerrero, that also included enhancement of the BOC information technology system, filling up of vacant plantilla positions, provision of incentives for employees, enhancement of facilities, enhancement of cargo clearance and examination capabilities, enhancement of intelligence and enforcement capabilities, codification and harmonization of all implementing rules and regulations, creation of a quality management system and integrity system, and pursuit of the passage of customs-related legislative measures.