PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is banking on sweeping reforms at the Bureau of Customs (BoC) to bolster US confidence in his administration’s anti-corruption campaign, the Palace said on Tuesday.
Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said the reforms are a direct response to the President’s directive to eliminate corruption and restore the integrity of government institutions.
“President Marcos has made it clear that fighting corruption is a top priority,” she told a Palace briefing in Filipino.
This comes after the US State Department named the BoC as one of the most corrupt agencies in the Philippines, hindering the entry of more American investments.
Ms. Castro touted that the BoC, under newly appointed Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno, has achieved a 96.99% digitalization rate and rolled out systems to track overstaying cargo and streamline travel documentation.
The BoC has also tightened conflict-of-interest rules, prohibiting officials and their relatives up to the fourth degree from engaging in customs brokerage or related businesses.
Ms. Castro said the bureau has been coordinating with the American Chamber of Commerce and the US Embassy, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, to highlight these reforms and demonstrate that the Philippines is serious about ensuring transparency, accountability, and professionalism in its trade processes.
“With the progress we’ve seen and the reforms now in place, we can expect a positive response from the US State Department,” she added.
The Marcos administration’s Customs overhaul comes amid broader efforts to attract foreign investment and strengthen ties with key trading partners by addressing long-standing issues of inefficiency and corruption in government agencies.
Meanwhile the BoC on Tuesday said that it is looking to strengthen anti-smuggling measures, citing the low conviction rate for the smuggling of illicit products in the country.
“We have agreed to have a joint effort, starting with case investigation to case buildup, because we recognized that a lot of cases filed I court have been dismissed due to documentation issues,” Mr. Nepomuceno said in a budget hearing.
He added that the BoC is also looking to enter into a public and private partnership to fully digitalize its operations. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana and Adrian H. Halilli
