Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima swore in Alberto David Lina, CPA, as Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs today in a simple turnover ceremony at the Port of Manila. Appointed by President Benigno S. Aquino III, Lina headed the Lina Group of Companies with Air21, a leading logistics company, as its flagship. Lina was also a former Customs Commissioner back in 2005.
Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said, “I see government as a relay race: when the baton is passed to you, you take it and run. Now that Commissioner Sunny has passed on the baton to Commissioner Bert, I am sure he can run the race faster and harder. Our reform agenda comes from President Beningno Aquino III’s mandate. We have walked our talk. This mandate is as clear as ever, and we intend to run the best we can towards the end of this administration.”
Lina first launched the Run After the Smugglers (RATS) program in 2005, currently racking up a record 197 cases with a total dutiable value of P56.41 billion as of 31 January 2015 in the Aquino administration alone.
Citing the upcoming ASEAN integration by end-2015 as the backdrop of the work at the Bureau of Customs, Lina promised to continue Sevilla’s culture of integrity to institutionalize change in the agency seen as most improved in terms of revenue collection since last year.
“There is no one better than him to continue the fight against corruption in Customs with more energy and experience. I am excited to continue our reforms with Commissioner Bert at the helm,” Purisima added.