THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) may have pleased the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) for its above-par performance so far, but not the Federation of Philippines Industries (FPI), whose members continue to feel the pinch of having to compete with imported goods that are being smuggled into the country.

Edgardo Lacson, PCCI president, said in a statement that the BOC performance is commendable after it exceeded its target anew in August by 10.9 percent.

This allowed the bureau to increase its total collection to P167.841 billion since January, or P5.172 billion higher than its P162.669-billion goal, Lacson said.

Lacson said the growth in the BOC’s returns means more money in the country’s coffers, which could mean larger funding to support vital government projects that are imperative in alleviating the lives of the people and improving the business climate and attracting investments in the Philippines.

“The bureau has been under the scrutiny of public eye in recent months in light of the controversial lateral attrition law and the advance collection of oil taxes. It is high time for them to concentrate on their gains and build upon the momentum by spearheading initiatives to further harmonize customs procedures with international standards,” Lacson said.

“This will definitely bring down the cost of doing business and help improve the country’s competitiveness ranking,” he added.

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Customs bureau pleases PCCI, not FPI

THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) may have pleased the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) for its above-par performance so far, but not the Federation of Philippines Industries (FPI), whose members continue to feel the pinch of having to compete with imported goods that are being smuggled into the country.