Marcos urges BOC to prioritize public interest during 123rd anniversary

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged Bureau of Customs (BOC) employees to prioritize public interest while fulfilling their duties during the agency's 123rd founding anniversary at the PICC on Friday.

Marcos highlighted the BOC's role in supporting economic growth and emphasized the importance of proper tariff collection for national development, noting that since his administration began, the bureau has improved trade facilitation with a 96.99 percent digitalization rate.

In 2024, the Bureau of Customs reported a record-breaking P931.046 billion in total preliminary revenue collections, marking a 4.6% increase from the previous year and almost double the amount seized in 2023.

The BOC also seized smuggled goods worth a record P85.167 billion through 2,116 operations last year, nearly doubling the amount confiscated in 2023, helping protect local farmers and ensuring illicit agricultural products do not enter the market.

Among the top seized items were tobacco, cigarettes, vape products, illegal drugs, and agricultural products, with the BOC de-accrediting 56 importers and customs brokers involved in illegal activities and filing 45 criminal complaints against offenders.

For 2025, BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio outlined priorities including digitalizing customs processes further, simplifying procedures, curbing smuggling, improving employee welfare, and ensuring the bureau's integrity continues to improve.