Port of Manila exceeds first-half target by 27%

MANILA, Philippines - The Port of Manila (POM) exceeded its collection target by 27.29 percent in the first half of the year as it led all ports of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) with a revenue surplus of P5.76 billion for the period.

POM, under its district collector, lawyer Rogel Gatchalian, collected a total of P26.88 billion in January to June against its revenue target of P21.12 billion.

Its first half collection figure is P9.15 billion or 51.64 percent higher than the revenue collection posted for the first semester of 2009.

For six straight months, POM surpassed its monthly assigned target.

For January 2010, POM registered a surplus of P890 million or 31.1 percent over its target. For February, POM posted a surplus of P1.38 billion. For March, POM had a surplus of P1.21 billion or 35.5 percent. In April, POM again posted a surplus of P1.50 billion or a 42.8-percent deviation; for May a surplus collection of P731 million or 17.3 percent deviation, and in June POM registered a surplus of P55 million resulting in an aggregate deviation of positive 27.29 percent.

The P5.76-billion revenue surplus of the Port of Manila represents purely cash collections and is equivalent to 66.18 percent of the surplus collection being reported by the whole Bureau.

Aside from improving collections of duties and taxes from the usual sources, Gatchalian worked to enhance revenue collections from non-traditional sources. The valuation and classification review committee (VCRC) headed by Gatchalian and his deputy, Priscilla Bauzon, had resolved 296 VCRC cases that will generate additional collection of P58.6 million representing duties and taxes, while 85 demand letters were issued to various surety companies to settle/liquidate their outstanding accounts with the BOC representing their unpaid customs duties and taxes amounting to P117 million. Efforts were also intensified to collect surcharges, penalties and discrepancies resulting to an additional collection of P248 million.