News
Palace names Bienvenido Rubio as new BOC chief
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed Bienvenido Rubio as the new head of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Malacañang announced on Friday.
Rubio’s appointment as the new BOC commissioner was confirmed by Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil in a statement.
Prior to his new stint, Rubio served as director for BOC’s Port Operations Service under the Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group.
He first joined the BOC as Special Agent 1 in 2001 and was later promoted as a special investigator, then as Intelligence Officer I.
Rubio was later designated as the officer-in-charge of the Intelligence Division for the Manila International Container Port (MICP) and the Port of Manila until 2013.
He became instrumental in apprehending the smuggling of various commodities, including dangerous drugs and agricultural products.
After holding the positions of Intelligence Officer III and IV from 2013 to 2021, and in pursuit of his dedication and commitment to serve, Rubio was appointed in January 2021 as Director III of the BOC.
Rubio also spearheaded the collaboration with the Strategic Trade Management Office, Philippine Economic Zone Authority, and the Anti-Red Tape Authority in establishing mechanisms for reinforcing trade facilitation, establishing seamless export procedures, and critical information sharing.
The BOC, an attached agency of the Department of Finance, is in charge of assessing and collecting customs revenues, curbing illicit trade and all forms of customs fraud, and facilitating trade through an efficient and effective customs management system.
Presidential Action Center
Meantime, Garafil also confirmed the issuance of Executive Order (EO) 15 renaming the Presidential Complaint Center (PCC) as the Presidential Action Center (PACe).
Based on EO 15 signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Wednesday, the move was done to ensure that the new name is “consistent with the nature and scope of its work.”
“In addition to coordination and liaison work, the nature and scope of the work of the PCC also includes providing public assistance and social services such as addressing complaints against government processes and various requests for assistance… there is a need to rename the PCC to ensure that its name is consistent with the nature and scope of its work,” EO No. 15 read.
In 1991, the then Presidential Complaints and Action Office (PCAO) was signed by virtue of EO 442 to serve as the command center and liaison unit of the Office of the President (OP) with various agencies on all requests for assistance and complaints from the general public.
The same year when the PCAO was established, EO 447 was issued to rename it as the PACe.
However, EO 9 was issued in 2016, renaming the PACE as the PCC and placing it under the direct control and supervision of the Strategic Action and Response (STAR) under the now-defunct Office of the Cabinet Secretary.
The STAR Office is now under the supervision of the Office of the Executive Secretary following the signing of EO 67 in 2018.
“EO No. 09 (s. 2016) is hereby amended insofar as it is inconsistent with this Order. All orders, regulations, and issuances or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Order, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly,” according to EO 15, which takes effect immediately.