March 26, 2021
This is a momentous day for the Bureau of Customs.
Despite these challenging times, we are witnessing the launching of the Philippine Customs Modernization Project. This is a major step towards aligning our processes and standards with the best customs services in the world.
This project, supported by the World Bank, aims to transform the Bureau of Customs into a world class agency by streamlining and upgrading its systems and processes through information and communications technology.
The project will reform the way the Bureau of Customs operates, thereby enhancing its dual goals of revenue generation and trade facilitation.
The launching of this project is very timely. The pandemic has magnified the importance of modernizing our systems to thrive in the new digital economy. Now more than ever, we need more revenues to fund not only our COVID-19 response, but also our economic recovery program.
A highly efficient Bureau of Customs, therefore, is critical to help us recover strongly from this pandemic and build back the best possible future for our people.
The Bureau of Customs cannot do this modernization project alone. Since government operations are linked with each other, a Steering Committee will be created to support the implementation of this project. The Committee will include representatives from various agencies that have a stake in an efficient Bureau of Customs.
With the cooperation of relevant agencies and the support of the World Bank, we fully intend to complete this project in the shortest possible time. We expect the project’s partial operation by 2023 and full operation by 2024.
To be sure, this is a short horizon and we will need the full support of everyone involved in this project. We have worked too long with substandard operations and processes. From today onwards we will be taking great leaps towards a 21st century Bureau of Customs.
When this project is done, we expect to see more efficient port operations, dramatic gains in reducing corruption in the agency, and a major increase in our trade volumes. The project will allow us to be at the cutting edge in the application of new technologies to achieve the best revenue performance. All these will support the sustainable and long term growth of our economy.
There is no room to fail.
In closing, let me thank the World Bank for its support in modernizing our governance and enhancing our capacity for growth.
I assure you that the reforms that we will be instituting in the Bureau of Customs, through your help, will be fully functional and irreversible.
Thank you.
-@@@-
Copyright © 2021 Department of Finance