Customs chief: I’m no beginner who can be fooled
Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz
Determined to end corruption at the bureau, Customs chief Yogi Filemon Ruiz said he will pursue reforms, whatever it takes, not to please anyone but in support of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s vision to modernize and streamline processes.
Guesting in Daily Tribune's digital program Straight Talk, Ruiz said, "I am not a beginner at the Bureau of Customs whom they can fool."
This, as he highlighted current BoC initiatives that do away with face-to-face interactions between employees and clients to minimize corruption.
"What we are trying to do right now is we simplify things and stop face-to-face transactions in every collection district, and put up one-stop-shops at Customer Care Centers," he said.
The creation of Customer Care Centers in 17 Collection Districts serve as a one-stop-shop for customs-related transactions such as applications for accreditation, submission of goods declaration and other import documents, information, and payments, among others.
Brokers, importers, and anyone with no official business are off-limits at the BoC offices.
"They just stay in those one-stop shops at the Customer Care Centers to minimize (physical) interaction with Customs employees," he added.
"You do not need to be a scientist to fight corruption. What you need to do is just go to where the frontline is, look at the situation, and address its causes," said Ruiz, who had been with the BoC for five years as Director of the Enforcement and Security Service during the term of then-Commissioner Isidro Lapeña.
His law enforcement experience at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency spanned more or less 12 years as director of PDEA regions 4A, 6, 7, 12, and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
He said the BoC under his term picks up from the "very good" groundwork laid by his predecessors — Lapeña, and former Commissioner Rey Guerrero.
P5.5B to complete digitalization
The plan to fully implement the modernization of BoC is expected in three years but needs P5.5 billion to complete its digitization efforts to cut down bureaucracy within the agency.