BOC’s Nepomuceno caps first year with revenue gains

MANILA, Philippines — Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno capped his first year in office with stronger revenue collections despite the Middle East crisis, while intensifying enforcement and pursuing reforms to rebuild public trust.

In Nepomuceno’s accomplishment report, the BOC said that he pushed reforms that improved collections, intensified border protection, streamlined processes, expanded digital services and strengthened accountability.

Nepomuceno, appointed on July 1, 2025, closed his first year generating P965.65 billion in collections as of June 30, despite geopolitical shocks weighing on import volume.

“In the past year, we did not only implement reforms. Step by step, we are restoring the people’s trust in the Bureau of Customs,” Nepomuceno said.

“Every illicit shipment we intercepted, every peso we collected and every system we improved was guided by one purpose. That is to serve the Filipino people with integrity, accountability and excellence. We still have a long journey ahead, but we have laid a strong foundation,” he added.

Nepomuceno kept the agency “on track” toward its P1-trillion target, with revenues reaching P491.75 billion in the first half of 2026, overshooting its goal by 2.4 percent despite the three-month suspension of fuel excise tax.

Meanwhile, to boost compliance, he expanded the role of the Post-Clearance Audit Group, which generated P3.07 billion in revenue while public auctions raised P305.64 million, with an additional P217 million expected from negotiated sales.

The BOC said these include the disposal of 13 luxury vehicles linked to the Discaya couple and the approved sale of two Bugatti Chiron supercars valued at P205.02 million, among the highest-value recoveries in the agency’s history.

From July 2025 to June 2026, the agency also conducted 1,090 operations that led to the seizure of P40.47 billion worth of illicit goods, including narcotics, counterfeit products, smuggled cigarettes, vape products and agricultural commodities.

At the same time, the Fuel Marking Program safeguarded P257.63 billion in duties and taxes by monitoring 20.6 billion liters of petroleum.

The BOC said these improvements are helping reduce delays, enhance transparency and make its services more accessible to traders and the public.

The agency also delivered 41,525 abandoned balikbayan boxes to overseas Filipino families as of June 30, with Finance Secretary Frederick Go helping fund costly door-to-door shipments.