The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has tapped Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC) to handle the procurement of its services, equipment, and infrastructure requirements so the customs bureau can focus on its main mandate and functions.
Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña and PITC president and chief executive officer Dave Almarinez signed February 28 a memorandum of agreement (MOA) formalizing the arrangement.
Lapeña, in a speech during the MOA signing ceremony, said the agreement “proposes programs and agreements to enhance trade and customs processes and services that translates to providing better and more socio-economic services.”
Almarinez said PITC will act as an outsourced procurement agent of BOC so the bureau can focus on its mandate rather than worry about procuring needed services and equipment.
He noted that PITC, a state-owned trading company under the Department of Trade and Industry, is also allowed to partner with other government agencies for their procurement needs.
Lapeña, for his part, said the partnership allows BOC to save time and manpower in the bidding process since its bidding team has only a few personnel.
“Then we can concentrate on our jobs more…especially on revenue collection,” Lapeña said.
He clarified, however, that BOC’s General Services Division, which undertakes procurement, will still do biddings but only for “immediate, doable” requirements of the bureau.
Lapeña said a lot of projects will be procured through PITC, which includes infrastructure requirements for the construction of customs buildings and personnel quarters in BOC collection districts.
The customs chief said he has seen the need for customs buildings and personnel quarters, especially in outports such as in the port of Palawan, when he visited collection districts last year.
BOC will also procure through PITC additional watercraft to augment its capability to patrol ports and secure the country’s borders from contraband. For this year, BOC has already procured three watercraft, and will acquire three more. These vessels will be deployed two each in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
He noted that the procurement projects lined up for 2018 include those with approved appropriations for this year, as well as projects that have a budget under the 2017 appropriations but have not been finished.
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