BoC’s 9-month seizure of smuggled goods reach P84-B
A personnel of Bureau of Customs inspects the frozen mackerel earlier seized, which was formally turned over to the Department of Agriculture last 14 December during the President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s inspection at the Manila International Container Port.
photograph courtesy of BoC
The Bureau of Customs (BoC) has seized a total of P84.36 billion worth of smuggled goods as of 30 November 2024, proof that the agency is doing well in strengthening border protection.
In a report released by the Department of Finance on Friday, it said that among the top seized commodities are counterfeit goods, various commodities, cigarettes, e-cigarettes/vape products, vehicles and accessories, and illegal drugs.
Recently, the BoC forfeited 21 containers of seized frozen mackerel worth P178.5 million which was donated to 150,000 families in marginalized communities.
On 14 December 2024, the President distributed some of the confiscated mackerel to 21,000 households from Barangay 649 in Tondo, Manila right after its inspection.
Also, the BoC was able to attain a digitalization rate of 97 percent with the implementation of three new systems in 2024, namely the Overstaying Cargo Tracking System, the Enhanced e-Travel System and the ATA Carnet Monitoring.
Overstaying containers disposed
From January to November 2024, the BoC likewise disposed of a total of 305 overstaying containers.
This resulted in revenue generation of P166.301 million from the public auction of 146 containers of assorted goods.
Meanwhile, 16 Collection Districts, three sub-ports, and five stand-alone BoC offices were awarded ISO 9001:2015 Certification as of the end of November 2024.
This reflects the Bureau’s continued adherence to the stringent quality management standards set by the ISO.
As part of the BoC’s monitoring efforts and post-evaluation of importers and brokers, the Bureau revoked the accreditation of 48 importers and customs brokers.
Criminal complaints against importers
From January to November 2024, the BoC filed a total of 81 criminal complaints against importers and customers in violation of the provisions stipulated in the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. Seven criminal convictions were secured by BoC.
On the other hand, the agency successfully collected P220.77 billion in taxes under the Fuel Marking Program, which translated to 18.23 billion liters marked as of 30 November 2024.
To safeguard against abuse of warehousing privileges and prevent potential revenue leakage, the BoC also intensified its inspection of Customs Bonded Warehouses and Customs Common Bonded Warehouses and ordered the closure of 14.