Bureau of Customs pursues digital shift and port overhaul

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is implementing a digital transformation agenda and a major operational overhaul to improve trade efficiency and combat corruption. Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno stated that the agency is moving toward a modern, transparent, and business-friendly model, emphasizing that the BOC’s role extends beyond revenue collection to facilitating legitimate trade through information and communications technology (ICT) projects.

In tandem with these modernization efforts, the BOC has ordered a full-scale cleansing of the Port of Subic following large-scale agricultural smuggling operations. Coordinated efforts involving the Department of Agriculture and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority uncovered schemes where restricted goods, such as onions and carrots, were misdeclared as processed items like ‘chicken lollipops’ to evade sanitary controls. The crackdown aims to eliminate corrupt practices and address economic sabotage within the port.