The Bureau of Customs (BOC) vowed on Tuesday to promote transparency in the agency and made the commitment before civil-society organizations, like the Coalition of Clean Air Advocates of the Philippines (CCAAP), United Filipino Consumers and Commuters (UFCC), Green Team Luntiang Pangarap and Santinig Philippines.
Under its memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the various organizations, the BOC vowed to open its records of transactions to the public and to the civil-society groups, in line with President Duterte’s executive order (EO) on the freedom of information.
BOC Deputy Commissioner Arturo M. Lachica said at a news conference on Monday the bureau intends to eliminate corruption in the government through transparent operations.
“When we are transparent, then the transactions that we are doing in the BOC are open to the public and, therefore, it will stand the test of scrutiny,” he said.
Lachica explained the vital role of access to information in fighting all forms of graft and corruption in the government. He said to ensure public trust, the government must establish a system of transparency. This was why the bureau now allows civil-society groups to access records vital to public information.
“The fight against graft and corruption could not be done successfully by the singular effort of the BOC. We need the collaboration of all stakeholders and those concerned. Only by working together we can fight corruption,” he said.
Lawyer Marlon Melodias of the BOC Legal Service added the government is committed to a transparent and corrupt-free government.
“On the very first day of Commissioner Nicanor E. Faeldon’s assumption to office, the No. 1 order of the day was to improve the delivery of services to the public, foremost of which was the elimination of corruption in the bureau,” Melodias said.
Earlier initiatives to promote transparency include the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the agency’s frontline offices and the online livestreaming of these cameras in the BOC web site.
“Hopefully, before the term of the President ends, we will have a BOC that everybody can be proud of,” Lachica said.
In earlier reports, the BOC clarified that delays in the transaction of shipment and cargo do not fall under the bureau alone but also on other regulatory agencies, as well.