By Junex Doronio
MANILA — For surpassing the P584.88-billion collection target in 2018, some 3,000 regular employees of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) will have a bountiful “Media Noche” for the incoming New Year as they will receive a total of P1.3 billion bonus before the current year ends.
This was announced on Saturday (December 9) by Marlon Agaceta, chief of staff of Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, who said the approval and release of the bonus “took time” because the collections had to be confirmed and go through the process.
“As long as pasok sa 6-month period na dapat you are an employee, kahit na retired ka na, you will be receiving the reward,” Agaceta said in a news forum.
He added: “We are positive enough that those rewards will be distributed before the end of the year.”
The reward was given to employees from way back in 2018, when BOC surpassed its P584.88-billion target.
The succeeding years after the year 2018 have yet to be accounted for the BOC explained.
“The distribution will be based on the duty of the worker and salary grade, prorated,” Agaceta said. “It will depend sa salary grade na hawak mo at that time at yung port na hawak mo at that time.”
The BOC spokesman also disclosed that the BOC has also reached its target of P795.96-billion from January to November this year (2023) after the agency collected P813.65 billion during the said period.
This amount is P24.05 billion higher than the same collection period in 2022, he said.
“Values are strictly being monitored, thus there is an increase in the collection despite the lower volume of goods. With the intensified smuggling drive, nagiging mas compliant ang importers,” Agaceta claimed.
He noted that in the first 11 months of 2023, the BOC seized P42.49 billion worth of smuggled goods.
