Beware the axe of Bert Lina

Bert Lina was quite content running the brokerage firm AF2100, the largest and best global service participant of Federal Express Corporation, and earning a lot of money, when he had breakfast with Trade Secretary Cesar Purisima a couple of months ago. It was the costliest breakfast he ever had; in a matter of days, he had to divest his interest in AF2100 to head the Bureau of Customs, where he would earn very little if he decided to be an honest man, and tackle the gargantuan task of cleaning up a bureau perceived to be one of the most corrupt government agencies, and make it earn money for the government.

Bert, 57, born in Tondo, a business ad graduate of the Philippine School of Business Administration, accepted the offer. He resolved to clean up the BOC Aegean stable and "make a difference." His brother Joey, a former senator and Department of the Interior and Local Government secretary, wished him luck.

It’s not luck, but by sheer determination, that Bert has made some difference in the bureau in two months. At the first Customs Night sponsored by the Manila Overseas Press Club, he said the 2005 collections target is P151.185 billion; during the first quarter, its target goal of P31.160 billion has been met 96 per cent – a big difference from the first quarter collection of 2004 which was only 29.195 billion. Collections in the ten district posts have increased.

Bert talked about his four-point program: improving revenue collections; promoting trade and facilitating the movement of goods and people; leveling the playing field for business, and streamlining systems and procedures and empowering/energizing personnel.

New legislative and executive measures totaling 16,236, including excise taxes on motor vehicles, indexation of sin products (cigarettes and fermented liquor), are guideposts in making reforms at the bureau.

Reforms at the bureau include container x-ray facilities, regular dialogues with port users confederation, customs brokers, industry associations, Japan-Philippines economic program cooperation, and the bureau’s employees’ association. Personnel work two shifts, ensuring 7-7 work schedules.

Plugging revenue leak measures cover automated customs operations; use of valuation screens, spot examination and checking of goods destined to the PEZA and good transferred to CBWs. People vaguely describing importations and fly-by-night importers will no longer have a field day. There is a joint BOC-BIR monitoring of all shipments of oil and oil products (oil imports make up 26 per cent of customs revenue).

In other words, the new computerized system of monitoring and auditing will make it impossible for people (customers and BOC personnel) to continue with the profitable business of misdeclaring goods, pilferage and cheating on duties.

Bert’s afraid of nothing and no one. That’s where he’s made a lot of difference. He is determined to nail down smugglers – to totally strip the BOC of its negative image, and collect the right and proper revenue from activities at the seaport and airport customs areas. With the help of "invigorated" customs personnel, and surveillance and intelligence police, taxes will be declared and collected rightfully. He says there will be strict implementation of laws. The entry of right-hand-drive vehicles is prohibited by law, and this he will vigorously pursue.

Travellers coming home from trips abroad will be taxed accordingly (items above the allowable P10,000 will be taxed). Ukay-ukay is punishable, as the used garments are supposed to go to the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Donations of equipment to hospitals and NGOs will have to be declared ahead of shipment. Importers and brokers are being monitored. Like the Bureau of Immigration, the BOC gives rewards to individuals giving information on smugglers and other type-violators.

Next week, he will be filing charges against violators.

He has received death threats, he admitted before the Customs Night audience, and his family and friends have been praying for his safety. But he accepted the job, he said, for love of country. Bert said, "A lot of Filipinos are now supporting us, they are paying their duties."

This man with the axe enables us to sleep well at night. We wish him well.

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Present at the Customs Night were some officers of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. headed by their new president, Francis Chua, and John K. Tan, executive vice president. The Federation’s new officers had been inducted last week at the federation’s building in Binondo, with members of the Samahang Plaridel, an organization of Philippine journalists, as their special guests. President Chua spelled out the federation’s new program, which is to deploy its 170 local chambers nationwide to create more jobs by looking for new investment opportunities and tourist spots to develop. Chua expressed optimism about the program’s success, as he recounted the federation’s success in constructing barrio schools (one for each of the country’s 7,500 islands). With the cooperation of 800 members from small and medium-scale enterprises, the program has no way to go but be another feather in the cap for FFCCCII.

Guests were served a sumptuous lauriat, and given boxes of goodies manufactured by federation members. At our table, Federation member Cecilio A. Pedro, chief executive officer of Lamoiyan Corporation, shared his experience in coming up with the best-selling toothpaste called Hapee.

Samahang Plaridel, has offices on the second floor of Front Page on TM Kalaw, across the Luneta. President Rolly Estabillo, who is corporate communication officer of Philippine Air Lines, said the organization is meeting Monday to draft a statement on the spate of killings of journalists – a situation that reinforces the image of the Philippines as a dangerous country for journalists.

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