Marcos picks Bienvenido Rubio as Customs Commissioner

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has designated Bienvenido Rubio as Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) announced Rubio's appointment on Friday.

Rubio replaced Yogi Filemon Ruiz as head of the BOC. Ruiz led the agency in an acting capacity.

Prior to his appointment, Rubio served as director of the Port Operations Service of the BOC's Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group.

Rubio became instrumental in apprehending smuggled agricultural products and dangerous drugs during his stint as officer-in-charge of the Intelligence Division for the Manila International Container Port and the Port of Manila until 2013.

He was appointed Director III of the BOC under the Duterte administration.

In his latest designation, Rubio will prioritize hitting and surpassing the revenue target, simplifying and securing the facilitation of trade, curbing smuggling in any form, and uplifting the morale of the men and women of the agency. 

"I believe in promoting good governance by strengthening the Bureau of Customs first through active collaboration with its partner agencies and stakeholders. Essentially, stakeholders will always be considered and included in the process of improving customs services and procedures," Rubio said.

"I am also confident that 90% of the problems encountered by the customs administration can be solved just by looking at things [from] an inward perspective," he added.

His action plan includes the following:

• Review and revise customs processes by digitalizing all the BOC processes, which are geared towards the President’s call for a transparent and efficient government;
• Enhance the competencies and integrity of personnel to ensure the delivery of quality public service;
• Adopt a data-driven culture to ensure that the data gathered is utilized in decision-making at every level of the organization; and
• Link the actions of the agency to the feedback and evaluation of its partners and stakeholders.

—VAL/VBL, GMA Integrated News