The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is mapping out the agency’s three-year strategic plan for implementing the newly signed Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), and stressed it would give importance not only to the law’s provisions concerning operations but also on a fair compensation plan for employees.
In a two-day workshop for top and middle-level officials of BOC, Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina said the reorganization of the bureau is inherently provided for under CMTA. He instructed BOC officials to create a technical working group (TWG) to closely study the impending changes in the functions and organizational structure of the agency.
“As we transform customs processes into an IT-enabled environment, the focus is now on rightsizing our workforce. The CMTA will allow us to regroup, retrain and reshuffle personnel accordingly. We have to be willing to let go of people whose skills no longer fit. (Fewer) but more competent individuals mean better salaries and reduced corruption,” Lina said in a statement.
The TWG will also study the matter of increasing employee compensation. As stated in Section 202 (i) of the CMTA, the bureau is to recommend to the President a competitive compensation and remuneration system that will attract and retain highly qualified personnel while maintaining the bureau’s financial sustainability.
The strategic implementation plan focuses on business process re-engineering, computer-based systems development, organizational development, capacity building, drafting of implementing rules and regulations, external communication, and advocacy and education.
The outgoing commissioner stressed during the workshop, “As we work towards drawing this three-year CMTA implementation plan, the most important thing is to determine what is good for the country. On top of everything, that is what we must consider with all the plans the bureau will undertake.”
Participants of the workshop also tackled in detail the specifics of the draft implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of CMTA. Customs officials reviewed and validated results of the focus group discussions held last month which identified key areas to be attuned to and strengthened in line with the new provisions of the CMTA.
On June 9 and June 10, BOC conducted a public consultation on the draft IRR.
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