BOC-Cebu posts surplus collection despite challenges

CEBU CITY – The Bureau of Customs–Port of Cebu is confident of further boosting its revenue collection this month even amid the challenges its administration is facing.

This, as it reported a surplus collection in the amount of PHP11.783 million in its April collection performance.

BOC-Cebu District Collector Elvira Cruz told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) Friday that the Port of Cebu was able to collect PHP2.742 billion or 0.43 percent more than the PHP2.730 billion target for the month of April.

Cruz commended the Customs employees in the port for “working hard to meet the assigned target which even resulted in surplus collection.”

The revenue performance of the BOC-Cebu came amid controversy involving a purported assignment order which Cruz appealed before the Civil Service Commission (CSC) for violating the ban on movement of government personnel during election period.

The order re-assigned Cruz to a freezer unit, Customs Monitoring Unit while designating a lawyer to replace her. The Human Resource Division of BOC central office later discovered that the person supposed to be assigned in Cebu has not been appointed yet, she said.

She maintained that Customs Personnel Order No. B 11-2019 dated April 1, 2019 violated the Commission on Election rules prohibiting appointments and designations of government officials and employees within the election period.

“It was indeed a challenge for the Port of Cebu to meet the expectations of our good commissioner, Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, amidst those confusion,” Cruz said.

However, Cruz wanted the Office of the President (OP) and the Department of Finance (DOF) to look into the alleged refusal of some staff in the Office of the Commissioner to recognize her signatures on import documents that require disposition from their central office.

“They returned documents if they bear my signature. They want another person, the OIC, to sign them,” Cruz said. She said Deputy Collector for Assessment Lemuel Erwin Romero now signs Customs papers.

“I don’t know where did I go wrong. The Civil Service Commission has ruled that pending appeal, my reassignment is not executory,” she said. “Add to that, movement of personnel is not allowed during election period.

Cruz also wants Malacañang to look into the propriety of the acts of some personnel in the commissioner’s office who allegedly signed Customs documents bearing a designation that is not official.

“It’s a fact that I have rendered good service to the port of Cebu. We have performed our duties in collecting the assigned revenue target,” she said.

Cruz holds the rank of Customs Collector VI with official designation as district collector of BOC-Cebu.