Cebu Port Customs collects exceeds revenue targets

Cebu and two smaller ports were able to collect more revenues last month, but all other Bureau of Customs ( BOC) offices in major ports failed to meet their respective targets, dragging down the agency’s total collections during the period.

The Cebu port, under Officer-in-Charge Rico Rey Francis Holganza shone above all other ports for its R1.95 total collections, exceeding its R1.56 billion collection target for January, 2016.

An initial BOC collection report said the Port of Cebu registered an excess of R389.7 million, followed by Zamboanga Port’s R20.5 million surplus.

Also, the BOC reported that actual Legaspi port collections were R600,000 higher than its revenue goal. The one in Legaspi is the smallest among performing ports.

While the amount of import duties and taxes collected by the three ports went up, collections of Metro Manila ports and oil ports in Batangas and Limay, Bataan were way below revenue targets.

In January, the Port of Manila incurred the highest shortfall of R2.16 billion after collecting only R4.86 billion as against its R7.03 billion target.

The Manila International Container Port (MICP) and Ninoy Aquino International Airport also fell short of targets, that is, R1.85 billion and R727.8 million, respectively.

The country’s two oil ports -– Batangas and Limay – also suffered a shortfall in revenues, with a combined deficit totaling R3.07 billion.

Limay Port collected R1.56 billion, short of its R2.84- billion target, while the Port of Batangas generated R6.71 billion, way below its goal of R8.50 billion.

The five major ports’ collection targets account for 85 percent of the BOC’s goal for the period.

Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina blamed plunging oil prices for the BOC’s overall lower revenue intake last month

“Of course, the collections were low,” said Lina as the decline in oil prices affected the agency’s haul.

Overall, the BOC posted a shortfall of R8.26 billion, with its R30.95 billion in collections against its R39.21 billion target last month.

Other ports that fell short of its goal in January, 2016 are San Fernando, P14 million; Iloilo, R142.5 million; Tacloban, R14 million; Surigao, R1.3 million; Cagayan De Oro, R96.3 million; Davao, R223 million; Subic, R297 million; Clark, R24.1 million; and Aparri, R42.8 million.