The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is on its way to becoming a modernized and credible agency after it passed the four stages of Performance Governance System (PGS) of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA).
The agency recently accomplished the Institutionalization Status, the fourth and final stage of the PGS Pathway, and earned a Gold Governance Trailblazer Award, the highest distinction given by ISA.
Since its enrolment in November 2019 and after sequential revalidation, the BOC consistently bagged the highest award in the “Initiation Stage, “Compliance Stage”, “Proficiency Stage, and finally the 4th “Institutionalization” stage of the PGS.
“Congratulations to the Bureau of Customs for achieving the Institutionalized status and bagging the Gold Trailblazer Award for the fourth consecutive time. With this milestone comes the recognition as Islands of Good Governance, the official recognition program for milestone achievements in the use of the Performance Governance System,” the ISA stated in its commendation to the BOC. Joel Zurbano
Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero said the passing of the bureau in the last and final stage of the PGS pathway is not the end goal of their journey of transformation, “but merely a means to the real goal, which is the realization of our vision of becoming a modernized and credible Customs administration that is among the world’s best.”
The PGS is a framework for transformation that empowers institutions to deliver breakthrough results. It contributes to national development and inclusive growth by guiding institutions through a four-stage pathway designed to create, execute, and sustain effective transformation strategies.
ISA, which introduced the system, is an independent group working with government agencies in hopes of achieving socio-economic breakthrough through collaboration.
Lawyer Ma. Lourdes Mangaoang leads the bureau’s PGS Core Team, which formulates the reform programs of the agency.
During the Institutionalization Revalida, Commissioner Guerrero shared the bureau’s Transformation Journey throughout the years – building a new foundation of trust and awareness for its stakeholders and the general public through reformed efforts, towards creating a transparent, responsive and world-class customs administration.
Guerrero also presented the scorecards of the agency which have proven the breakthrough financial results and high social impact of the programs implemented and accomplishments achieved, as well as its plans to ensure the sustainability and continuity of the transformed and reformed programs and systems.
These programs are anchored on its primary mandates on border protection, revenue collection and trade facilitation, as well as the modernization of its processes and values reformation of its people.
These include automation of 82% or 139 out of the 170 Customs Processes from only 38% in 2019; the implementation of trade facilitation measures and improvement in its performance as reflected in the World Customs Organization (WCO) Implementation Maturity Assessment of 85.08% rating; accomplishments in seizure of P63.5 billion worth of various smuggled goods, P7.2 billion illegal drugs, and P1.9 billion agricultural products; and the implementation of fuel marking program which contributed P374.13 billion revenue from duties and taxes collected, among others.
