Bureau of Customs abolition planned

[ghosthunter]

Bureau of Customs abolition planned
Complete overhaul seen as only solution
By Michelle V. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12:07 am | Saturday, April 13th, 2013

Believing that any less stringent measure will not suffice to stamp out smuggling, the Aquino administration is considering abolishing the Bureau of Customs and replacing it with a professional institution run by private officials and employees.

Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino Biazon said he had an initial discussion with President Benigno Aquino III about a top-down cleansing at the customs bureau that would once and for all end smuggling and corruption in the agency.

“One concept done by other countries is a complete overhaul [of their customs departments] through abolition. We might have to do that,” Biazon said in a roundtable discussion with Inquirer editors and reporters on Thursday night.

The Bureau of Customs has been under fire in recent days, with reports about the rampant smuggling of oil through special economic zones and agricultural products that is costing the government billions of pesos in lost revenues every year.

Critics have demanded the resignation of Biazon for allegedly failing to stamp out smuggling despite the Aquino administration’s emphasis on transparency and good government.

Get rid of them all

Unknown to them, Biazon himself has proposed scrapping the entire customs bureau to get rid of all the corrupt officials and employees in the agency.

Biazon cited the example of Peru, which, to defeat corruption and smuggling, abolished its custom department, put up a new one, adopted strict qualifications for hiring, and paid higher salaries to the new officers and employees running the new agency.

In the case of the Philippines, Biazon said, corruption is deeply entrenched in the customs bureau’s culture and system so firing a few people or catching some smugglers will not solve the problem.

Biazon explained that face-to-face transactions between front-line customs personnel and importers open up opportunities for corruption.

Resistance to reforms

The solution, he said, is to have a completely automated system that will do away with direct dealings between customs employees and importers.

On his watch, he said, the customs employees’ strong opposition to reform makes it difficult for him to clean up the bureau.

Biazon cited an administrative order he issued last year for the automation of one customs procedure. “Concerned customs employees,” citing a threat to their job security, went to court and obtained a restraining order to block the reform.

“Customs reform is not just about chopping off heads. The guys down there in the front lines are the ones who have the power to perpetuate these things (corruption),” Biazon said.

He said the Philippines has been left behind by many countries in customs improvement. In those countries, he said, systems eliminating discretions of customs officers have been implemented to avoid corruption.

Self-financing

Biazon also said that under the proposal being considered by the Aquino administration, the replacement of the customs bureau will not be dependent on the national government for its budget. Instead, it will retain 3 percent of its tax and duty collections to finance its own operations.

That way, Biazon said, the new institution will not have to go to Congress every year to ask for budget approval, thus keeping itself free from the influence of politicians.

“We must insulate customs from politics,” Biazon said.

Moreover, the proposal states that, if possible, the employees of the new organization will be exempted from the Salary Standardization Law. With the exemption, it can pay its employees relatively higher salaries than what regular government agencies pay their staffs.

Giving high salaries is one way of shielding customs officers and employees from temptation, Biazon said.

Private auctions

He said that if he had his way, the customs bureau would no longer hold auctions to dispose of forfeited goods. Having a private group do that job is a prudent idea, he said. It will also defeat the “auction syndicates,” dummies of smugglers who forfeited the goods. With the syndicates being allowed to top the auctions by corrupt customs officers, the smuggled goods go back to the smugglers.

“One of the benefits of this proposal is the expedited disposal of forfeited cargos. Another is the process of auction becomes transparent,” Biazon said.

“If the function is delegated to the private sector, customs would be able to concentrate more on its other vital functions,” he said.

source: Bureau of Customs abolition planned | Inquirer News

[yebo]

sandamukal na TRO magliliparan dyan bago mangyari.

[Ry_Tower]

^ yeah, the GSIS and lawyers will have their hands full (and possibly pockets as well).

Saan ba puwede mag-apply as private BoC manager. hehehe

[yebo]

i-declare na lang kasi na free port ang buong pilipinas.

[falken]

source: Bureau of Customs abolition planned | Inquirer News

Yan nalang talaga ang solusyon.

[Monseratto]

Sobrang entrenched na kasi ang corruption. Mababa ang suweldo at maraming tao diyan gusto lumamang sa gobyerno,

[shadow]

Pati PNP iprivatized na rin


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[crazy_boy]

Pati PNP iprivatized na rin


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Pati military. Parang US. Meron silang private military contractor.

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[beni23]

Kingin* niyang mga yan. Di dumating mga package namin andun yung ps3 ko at wii ng kapatid ko.

[renzo_d10]

Tama lang yan. Mukhang yan nalang sagot sa corruption jan eh.

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[glenn manikis]

create lang sila ng task force, na ang hahawak.... hindi kayang lapitan o masuhulan....

ang problema kasi sa pinoy.... pag position sa customs ang pinagusapan.... pera pera agad ang nasa isip ng gustong malagay....

siguro kung mga Americano pa ang hahawak ---- maaayos yan customs na yan...

[glenn manikis]

Pati PNP iprivatized na rin


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mapa boys lang ng makati.... traffic lang ang binigay.... UMAABUSO NA....

[crazy_boy]

mapa boys lang ng makati.... traffic lang ang binigay.... UMAABUSO NA....

Yung ibang Mapa accredited kasi sa makati, mga sekyu lang. Tapos deputised. E alam naman natin na mejo gipit din sa buhay majority sa kanila. Siyempre, pag may mag offer ng quick cash, papatulan na.

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[safeorigin]

Finally, people are coming to their senses that Government doesn't work.

[glenn manikis]

Yung ibang Mapa accredited kasi sa makati, mga sekyu lang. Tapos deputised. E alam naman natin na mejo gipit din sa buhay majority sa kanila. Siyempre, pag may mag offer ng quick cash, papatulan na.

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meron kasi daw silang porsiento sa mga apprehension nila... kaya Overacting na ang ginagawa nila....

imagine yung kaibigan ko na babae ang sakay 6 puro ka opisina...

hinuli colorum daw... purkit naka urvan... colorum na... mga tao pa ng makati city hall yun... mga walang utak!

kaya mahirap pag ang umabuso taga private.. hindi under ng csc...

[ryanwilder]

Ewan ko parang mas gusto ko corrupt ang customs eh, there's money to be made pag iba-ibs presyo ng products.

[crazy_boy]

meron kasi daw silang porsiento sa mga apprehension nila... kaya Overacting na ang ginagawa nila....

imagine yung kaibigan ko na babae ang sakay 6 puro ka opisina...

hinuli colorum daw... purkit naka urvan... colorum na... mga tao pa ng makati city hall yun... mga walang utak!

kaya mahirap pag ang umabuso taga private.. hindi under ng csc...

madali lang kung hinuli ng "colorum". since officemates naman sila, pwede ipakita yung company IDs na magkatrabaho sila.

ang lagay kasi sa mga sekyu sa mapa, 20 lang ang binibigay ng bus drivers or jeep drivers kahit na beating the red light pa yan. witnessed it personally nung nag jeep ako 1 time sa ayala.

[cast_no_shadow]

How can you abolish then rehire?

Abolishment pero same peeps din ang iuupo?

How will they differentiate the corrupt sa mga matitino if they will put up a new BOC?

[Stoner]

Ogags yang mga taga-customs. I ordered something of higher value, gusto i-under the table. Sabi ko, ayaw at babayaran ko in full yung duties and taxes. Biglang hirit di pwede. Di daw pwede i-release sa private individual ang malaking halaga na package. Kailangan sa accredited (nakapag-lagay) na company daw.

O di ba? Kahit gusto mong tuwid na daan, iipitin ka lang.

[glenn manikis]

Ogags yang mga taga-customs. I ordered something of higher value, gusto i-under the table. Sabi ko, ayaw at babayaran ko in full yung duties and taxes. Biglang hirit di pwede. Di daw pwede i-release sa private individual ang malaking halaga na package. Kailangan sa accredited (nakapag-lagay) na company daw.

O di ba? Kahit gusto mong tuwid na daan, iipitin ka lang.

ganyan nga nangyayari samin.... Pinasok namin ng tama IMPRTED GOODS namin... bayad lahat legal fees... INIPIT LANG!!! kaya imbes na kumita kami nalugi pa kami...

then meron din one time pinasok din namin ng legal parts namn.... bakit daw ang mura ng kuha namin? dapat daw "ganito ganito ang presyo nun" eh talagang mura lang naman talaga yun... AYAW MANIWALA...!!! pero malaman laman namin meron pala syang approved same item din... pero MAS DI HAMAK pa na mas MABABA ANG DEClaration... sa declaration namin....

dapat talaga abolished na yan customs na yan... ang problema lang talaga, sila sila din ang hahawak dyan...

there's a mind behind the abolition.... para MASOLO NILA lahat ng kaperahan sa customs...