BOC to get back 9-hectare property

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) vowed yesterday to retrieve buildings and properties in Cebu City, including the lot where Plaza Independencia stands.

The BOC will also claim ownership again of the building, which used to be the Malacañang sa Sugbo, after President Benigno Aquino III announced he is not inclined to use it.

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In a press conference, Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez said he will support the move of Port of Cebu District Collector Ronnie Silvestre to get back the property.

In his speech during the 124th founding anniversary of the Port of Cebu, former Port of Cebu district collector Ricardo Belmonte said based on their official records, former president Ferdinand Marcos issued an executive order allocating the nine-hectare property to the BOC.

Belmonte said the property includes Plaza Independencia and other adjacent lots.

Silvestre said he will make the move to get back the properties the soonest possible time.

Alvarez said he meet and talked with Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama the other day, but he refused to divulge what transpired in the meeting.

P280B target

Meanwhile, Alvarez said BOC will focus on meeting its target collection of P280 billion for 2010. He said the bureau only collected P120 billion for the first semester.

Alvarez is happy the Port of Cebu exceeded its collection for July, hence, there is no reason to replace Silvestre as district collector.

“That’s the mandate given to me by the President and the secretary of finance. Part of that mandate also is for me to curb smuggling in the country,” Alvarez said.

His program also includes improving the quality of governance and transparency, so once he meets the target this year, he will request the Department of Finance to allocate funds for the improvement of facilities.

He will look at commodities being imported.

“I, on my own, will focus on the big-ticket items, such as oil, rice sugar, resins and steel. Priority will be given to these items because the information we gathered is that the revenue leakages are huge,” Alvarez said.

He said they will focus on the investigation on rice smuggling, especially on the supply chain and where the leakages happened.

To get good results, Alvarez will strengthen the investigation and intelligence gathering skills of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service and the Enforcement and Security Service.

In Cebu, Alvarez said they will identify importers who are violating the Tariff and Customs Code. (EOB)