THE Bureau of Customs is undergoing a massive streamlining process to eliminate job redundancies that sow confusion, which smugglers and other unscrupulous persons take advantage of to ply their illegal trade.

Among the first targets of a memorandum issued by Commissioner Rufino Rozzano Biazon are the “non-organic” personnel or “outsiders” who currently work in the agency on a daily basis.

Biazon said many of these outsiders perform functions that supposedly should be done by organic personnel.

“Non-organic personnel are usually hired by customs officials themselves but the BOC still has to conduct a head count on how many of them are working regularly in the agency.

“We have to establish the responsibilities and accountabilities of all BOC personnel to avoid confusion, which is being exploited by smugglers,” Biazon said.

“So long as there are people who are not accountable for their deeds in the bureau and yet are allowed access to vital government information and documents, the BOC will always be placed in a perilous situation,” he said.

A personnel count will be undertaken, including those hired under contractual arrangements. The current assignments of BOC personnel will also be reviewed, especially those detailed to units other than their mother units.

Biazon said the common practice at the BOC of detailing personnel to offices other than their mother units without the required customs personnel order is “creating a big problem” for the agency as this creates a redundancy of functions and even the crossing of jurisdictional boundaries.

Meanwhile, it was reported that as of end-September, the agency raised P191.02 billion against its full-year reduced revenue goal of P278 billion from the original P320 billion.

Biazon said he is confident the agency would be able to meet its revenue target of P30.48 billion for October, one of the highest collection goals for the agency.