Lapeña bows out of BOC

FILE: Outgoing Bureau of Customs (BOC) chief Isidro Lapeña. (Photo: Office of the Presidential Spokesperson/Facebook)

MANILA — Outgoing Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said he had accomplished much during his stint in the bureau for more than a year.

“I have performed well, as compared to the data from the previous administrations and years. Although we don’t want to compare but I just want to show how we performed. What needs focus is the revenue collection,” Lapeña said after his last flag ceremony at the bureau.

“Never in the history of the BOC that we have collected such revenue with surplus. The revenue target is higher by PHP150 billion since last year but we are hitting our target,” the BOC chief added.

The BOC’s revenue collection target for 2018 is PHP598 billion, around 30 percent higher than its actual collection least year amounting to PHP458.18 billion.

Earlier, BOC data showed that it collected PHP435.964 billion from January to September 30, 2018. This is 34.6 percent higher than the PHP323.824 billion collection of the same period in 2017.

Lapeña also noted he did not receive anything from anybody or met anybody for favors while in office.

“With all honesty and you can ask even the players if I met with anyone of them. This is why we have a ‘no take, no pasalubong, no gift’ policy and that is strictly implemented. You go to my office with your pasalubong and you would be stopped from entering my office,” he added.

At the same time, Lapeña said he submits to President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision when asked on his reaction on the plan of the latter to field in personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to replace Customs officials.

On Thursday, Duterte announced Lapeña’s transfer to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

He will be replaced by Maritime Industry Authority administrator Rey Guerrero.

Lapeña was appointed as BOC head in August 2017.