BOC appoints 5 new execs in major revamp

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) announced on Friday that the new head of the bureau's accreditation office, as well as four new district collectors, were sworn in as part of a major reshuffle designed to improve collection performance.

In a statement, the BOC announce that Carmelita "Mimel" Talusan, the former district collector of the Port of Subic, formally assumed her new post as the district collector of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). She replaced  former collector lawyer Vincent Philip Maronilla.

Meanwhile, lawyer Ma. Liza Sebastian of the BOC's Revenue Collection Monitoring Group and lawyer Lyceo Martinez of the Compliance Monitoring Unit were appointed district collector of Port of Surigao and Port of Zamboanga, respectively.

Sebastian and Martinez replaced former Surigao collector Lilibeth Mangsal and Zamboanga collector lawyer Jesus Balmores.

Mangsal was named the new acting deputy collector for operations of the Port of Cebu.

"The former collectors were relieved after failing to meet the February collection target," the BOC explained, referring to BOC Commissioner Isidro Lapeña effort to improve collection performance and his accompanying order that district collectors who failed to meet targets were to be relieved.

The BOC also announced that former NAIA Deputy Collector for Passenger Services Arsenia Ilagan was appointed district collector of the Port of Legazpi, replacing former collector lawyer Ma. Lourdes Mangaoang.

Meanwhile, Mangaoang took over Ilagan's post as NAIA Deputy collector for Passenger Services.

The Customs chief clarified that Mangaoang's reassignment to the NAIA as deputy collector was "not due to poor performance in revenue collection but for her to take a bigger responsibility."

The BOC said Mangaong's reassignment was expected to "boost" the revenue collection at the NAIA.

Earlier, Lapeña swore in Director Jessie L. Cardona of the Anti-Terrorism Council Program Management Center as the new head of the Bureau accreditation office (AMO).

"He is one of my trusted men in the public service and I know he will resolve the issues in the Account Management Office in no time," Lapeña finished.

After taking over BOC chief after  Nicanor Faeldon, Lapeña had demanded that BOC officials stop the practice of "tara." He also sought to do away with "benchmarking," and insisted  that the correct valuation of goods should instead be applied. — Margaret Claire Layug/DVM, GMA News