3-month ultimatum issued to delinquent BOC personnel
MANILA – Non-performing Bureau of Customs personnel were only given three months to meet their targets or they will lose their positions.
“Six months is too long , normally three months. It should be meritocracy. If they performed then there will be a reward. If not, guide them on how to do things properly. If the start of all of these measures, we’ll see,” said new Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez, at the sideline of the BOC turnover rites on Wednesday.
He noted that failure to come up with a solution to meet their goal might cost them their office. “Drastic measures have to be implemented. They will lose their position.”
Alvarez revealed that at least four district collectors are not performing well in terms of attaining revenue targets, but he refused to give their names.
In his speech, the bureau chief vowed to implement measures that will enhance revenue collection and put an end to influence-peddling system. He said that stamping corruption in the bureau is a gargantuan task, but added he is up to the challenge.
“There are some measures that will take a little while for us to accomplish. And that’s given. It is an impossible task to curb corruption in the bureau...but this is the challenge I will be facing and I will assure that the quality of governance under my administration will be a lot better,” Alvarez said.
Among the new programs the new BOC commissioner will implement to enhance revenue collection are: to strengthen the organizational structure of the bureau, to speed up the clearing of goods and processing of export transaction, enhance trade facilitation, and promotion of transparency in every Customs transactions.
He said that a panel will be created that will assess the individual performance of officials and employees, which will serve as basis for promotion.
“There will be a process of having a panel interview before any promotion is made. Present your case to the panel. Convince us why you should be promoted. What have you done and what are your plans to further improve the bureau?” he said.
Alvarez also revealed that he already resigned from the Lina Group of Companies where he served as president of Airfreight 2100 Inc., or Air21, the sole licensee of Federal Express in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, he said they will review the demand letters for oil companies Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation and Petron Corporation amounting to P279.644 million.
“(Outgoing) Commissioner Napoleon Morales has already briefed me about the new demand letters for the two oil companies and I asked for the full report,” Alvarez said.
He vowed to work on it, yet all the concerned offices as well as the Department of Finance will need to give an input on the case, before arriving with any decision.
Based on the report of the Post Entry Audit dated August 2007, for the period August 4, 2004 to August 3, 2007, they found deficiency in duty and taxes in the amount of P119.458 million for Shell.
