NEWLY appointed Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno has assumed office, fully committed to carrying out President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order to put a stop to the culture of corruption in the agency.
Nepomuceno said on Wednesday that he would focus on the agency’s core mandates: boosting revenue collection, facilitating legitimate trade, combating smuggling, and fostering a professional and integrity-driven workforce.
“With those [orders], I intend to fulfill with the best of my ability [the President’s instructions]. I have to do my job regardless of whoever gets hurt. I don’t need to please everybody. I only need to please one, and that is the President,” he added.
He emphasized the importance of continuity and collaboration, pledging to build on the gains achieved by the BOC under previous leadership while introducing strategic innovations in digitalization, enforcement, and stakeholder engagement.
Nepomuceno pointed out that he is not new to the bureau, having served before as Customs deputy commissioner and as such, he has the advantage of seeing the gaps and recurring problems of the bureau.
Get the latest news
delivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Prior to his new appointment, Nepomuceno was executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and undersecretary of the Office of Civil Defense.
He asked for the full support of his fellow officials and rank-and-file employees of the bureau to give it their best — work hard and persevere to collectively achieve the goals set by the president.
Advertisement
“We still need to work harder in institutionalizing our reforms and further improve the standards of the bureau that has been chartered by my predecessor,” he said.
He vowed to implement more programs to improve the morale and motivate Customs personnel to deliver better service to the people.
Outgoing Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, who led the BOC from February 2023 to June 2025, expressed his full support for Nepomuceno and the agency’s transformation.
During his tenure, Rubio steered the BOC to record revenue collections of P883 billion in 2023 and about P916 billion in 2024, consistently surpassing annual targets.
Advertisement
Parallel enforcement gains saw seizures jump from P43.29 billion worth of illicit goods in 2023 to P85.16 billion in 2024 through more than 2,100 operations, demonstrating a markedly stronger anti-smuggling posture.
Rubio’s administration also pushed lasting digital reforms: 161 of 166 core customs processes were automated, achieving a 96.99 percent digitalization rate and sharply reducing face-to-face transactions.
Key trade facilitation tools launched during this period include the Enhanced e-Travel Customs System, Overstaying Cargo Tracking System, ATA Carnet Monitoring System, and National Customs Intelligence System.
These were platforms that collectively streamline declarations, track cargo in real time, and integrate data sharing across agencies for faster, more transparent border clearance.
