CHANGES are expected to come at the Philippine Bureau of Customs (BOC) as at least two new deputy commissioners were sworn into office as of press time last Friday, amid the bureau’s ongoing revamp.
Sworn into office before Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima were deputy commissioner for Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group Atty. Agaton Teodoro O. Uvero and deputy commissioner for Management Information System and Technology Group Primo B. Aguas.
Uvero, a customs and trade expert who counseled industry organizations such as the Philippine International Seafreight Forwarders Association, Air Cargo Forwarders of the Philippines and Port Users Confederation, replaced Prudencio Reyes, Jr. Uvero was a consultant for USAID and wrote columns for PortCalls. He was also a regular speaker at the annual PortCalls Cargo Economics Conference.
Aguas is a former IBM executive. He replaced Ma. Caridad Manarang who was appointed assistant secretary at the Department of Finance (DOF), BOC’s mother agency.
Uvero and Aguas are expected to report to work on Sept. 30.
As of press time Friday, three other incoming deputy commissioners were also expected to be sworn into office: deputy commissioner for Enforcement Jessie Dellosa, deputy commissioner for Revenue Collection and Monitoring Group Ma. Editha Tan and deputy commissioner for Internal Administration Group Myrna Chua.
Dellosa, former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, will also be officer in charge for the intelligence group, previously led by Danilo Lim.
Tan, an assistant secretary at the DOF, replaced Peter Manzano while Chua, a director at the Department of Budget and Management, succeeded Juan Lorenzo Tañada III.
Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino Biazon welcomed the new appointees. “I am willing to work with anyone and will welcome those who are appointed to the BOC. A fresh team could provide a fresh perspective and approach to the challenges of the bureau.”
Earlier last week, 27 district collectors and deputy collectors, with plantilla items of Collector V and Collector VI, were transferred to the newly formed Customs Policy and Research Office of the DOF as part of the ongoing revamp at the customs bureau.
More changes may be in the pipeline, as PortCalls sources said President Benigno Aquino III is set to make a special announcement about the customs bureau this week.––Roumina M. Pablo
