Simon vows to get rid of fraud; BOC applies electronic system

By BEN BALCE
Staff member .

BUREAU of Customs (BOC) Collector John M. Simon of the Mindanao International Container Port on Friday assured stakeholders that their agency is taking President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to end corruption in the bureau.

Simon even said that the bureau had launched and implemented an electronic system that operates with lesser human intervention in the declaration of imported goods to avoid corruption.

Since Duterte assumed presidency in 2016, the president expressed his frustration over the perennial problem of red tape and corruption in the government.

“Hindi pumapayag ang administrasyon na maghari ang katiwalian.Ipagpapatuloy namin ang aming pangako sa pangulo  na magsilbi ng tapat at walang halong katiwalian,”  Simon said.

In an interview Simon said that any staff involved in any misconducts will be immediately removed from his/her station.

Simon even said that they have already reshuffled employees within the bureau who were reportedly involved in wrongdoings.

He also urged stakeholders to report immediately corrupt practices involving the employees of the BOC.

“Sabihin niyo kaagad sa amin kung may nakita kayo. We want to resolve it right away, “ he said.

Simon added that the bureau is guided on five-point program: stopping corruption; increasing revenues; ensuring trade facilitation; strengthening anti-smuggling efforts; and enhancing the personnel incentives, rewards system and compensation benefits for BoC personnel.

Earlier, despite of the speculated and possible decrease of revenue collection during lean months (April and May), the bureau still the revenue collection for June is on track, as it underscored the May surplus collection of P681.29 million.

“The actual collection on May is P2,111,988,561.00. This is 47.62 percent increase higher from the monthly collection target of P1,430,719,950.00,” said Simon.

Simon said the port even posted a collection of P1.09 billion, which is 90.17 percent higher from P1.04 billion collection target for the month of April this year.

“April means a total surplus collection of P938.50 million, the highest collection recorded in the entire ports in the country,” Simon said over a phone interview on Monday.

In his collection report Simon added the May revenue collection in MCT port was “substantially higher” than the amount collected in the same month of 2018.

Simon said that from January to May collections this year are also higher compared to the collections during the same months last year.

“This will not be achieved without our team effort,” he said.