The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has further intensified its anti-corruption campaign under the leadership of Commissioner Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero, as 1,153 show-cause orders were issued in 2021 which led to the dismissal, suspension, relief, and reshuffling of errant BOC employees.
The BOC-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) already conducted 133 personnel investigations which resulted in the filing of 44 administrative cases before the BOC-Legal Service.
Consequently, the BOC was also able to transmit 14 cases to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and four to the Ombudsman.
During the period, three BOC employees were dismissed, 17 were suspended, six were reprimanded, 19 were relieved, and 721 were reshuffled or transferred to various offices and ports due to irregular and unlawful activities.
The success in curbing corrupt practices in the bureau is attributed to BOC’s various initiatives, including the signing of the manifesto against corruption by all officials and personnel of the bureau on March 30, 2021. The manifesto is aimed at enabling God-centered anti-corruption advocacy and moral transformation.
Further, through the guidance of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), the BOC-PACC Command Group and the BOC’s Anti-Corruption Coordinating Committees were created to oversee the anti-corruption campaign within the bureau, aligned with the PACC’s Project Kasangga. The initiative serves as a holistic way of suppressing corruption, which complements the task force of the Department of Justice and the national government.
Moreover, the bureau enrolled in the Integrity Development Program of the World Customs Organization (WCO), where it received a 70% favorable rating based on responses from both internal and external stakeholders.
Similarly, the BOC has been enrolled in the 4-Stage Performance Governance System (PGS) of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) in 2019. Since then, the Bureau has consecutively bagged the Gold Governance Trailblazer awards as it passed the first three stages of the PGS. The Bureau aims to carry this momentum until it completes the final stage to fully ensure that reforms are truly achieved and realized.
The Bureau also continues to undertake the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (ISO QMS) Certification of its Units and Offices. In 2021, nine BOC ports, subports, and offices have already been awarded with ISO 9001:2015 certifications, while the rest are in various stages of the ISO compliance process.
The BOC said it remains steadfast in its fight against corruption and in increasing the level of integrity within the organization. (BOC) -ag
