The Bureau of Customs (BOC) said it has seized P20.58 billion-worth of smuggled goods in 2019 when its revenue collection also grew 6.3 percent.
In a statement, the BOC said it apprehended P9.44 billion worth of counterfeit products, P3.59 billion worth of illegal drugs, and P2.67 billion worth of cigarettes and tobacco products.
The rest were agricultural goods (P398.47 million), general merchandise (59.87 million), vehicles and accessories (106.55 million), used clothing (P66.86 million), steel products (P78.59 million), electronics (P21million), goods and firearms (P815,000), currency (P35 million), and other products (P4.1 billion).
The BOC said it also filed criminal cases against 345 importers and 75 customs brokers last year.
The BOC also revoked the customs accreditation of 196 importers and customs brokers for various violations of customs rules and regulations.
Preliminary data submitted earlier by the BOC to the Department of Finance (DOF) show that the bureau was able to collect P630.571 billion in revenues in 2019, representing a 6.3 improvement over the P593 billion collection in 2018 or up by P37 billion.
Of the total amount collection, P527.9 billion was from public auctions, P2 billion from post-clearance audits and P40.9 million from alert orders.
The BOC’s collection efficiency remains consistent at 95.4 percent.
To facilitate trade, the BOC y joined the ASEAN Single Window (ASW) last December 30 for the exchange of the electronic Certificates of Origin (ATIGA e-Form D) with Malaysia and Indonesia.
The BOC also officially launched the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Program to provide the bureau and its stakeholders with increased security while ensuring the seamless movement of goods.
On yard utilization, the BOC was able to reduce this to 71.2 percent in the Port of Manila (POM) and 72.66 percent in the Manila International Container Port (MICP) “ to provide a facilitated trade environment to its stakeholders.”
Its online accreditation program also resulted in the accreditation of 17,760 importers and 2,241 customs brokers with zero backlog.
