THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) collected P79.225 billion in September, surpassing its target for the month.
In a statement on Wednesday, the agency said that last month’s collection was 3.64% higher than its P76.445-billion target.
However, this was 0.06% lower than the P79.273 billion collected in the same month a year ago, data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed.
The agency’s monthly collections have been lower year on year since June. Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno earlier said that the decline in collection was mainly due to easing oil prices and inclement weather.
However, Mr. Diokno also said that he is “not concerned” about the lower revenues, as the year-to-date collection still remains on track.
Meanwhile, collections in the January-September period stood at P660.716 billion, exceeding its P644.185-billion target by 2.57%.
The BoC’s collection as of end-September accounts for 75.6% of the agency’s P874.166-billion full-year program.
The agency attributed its collection performance due to “effective customs operations, increased trade activity, and rigorous revenue collection efforts were put in place.”
The BoC said it has also conducted 730 anti-smuggling operations this year so far, seizing P35.963 billion worth of smuggled goods. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson
