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THE
government’s efforts to implement the Lateral Attrition
law has run into a legal snag, as collectors of the
Bureau of Customs have again declined to sign a binding
agreement that would allow the agency to ax them and
their staff if they fail to meet the assigned target for
the year.
BoC
deputy commissioner Reynaldo Umali warned that the
continuing infighting at the agency could jeopardize
their P330-million monetary reward for exceeding its
target last year.
The
Attrition Law operates on a carrot-and-stick approach,
and authorities had hoped that in exchange for the
promised reward for overcollection, customs agents would
be willing to put their jobs on the line if the
opposite, or undercollection, happened.
At
Monday’s meeting between the 15 collectors of the
country’s main ports of entry and top BoC officials, the
collectors declined for the second time to sign the
agreement. Instead, they said they would sign a
manifesto supporting the BoC’s target P228.2 billion for
the year.
At one
point, the collectors suggested that BoC officials ask
the interagency Development Budget Coordination
Committee (DBCC) to adjust its targets for the Customs,
as these were deemed too high. There were also
suggestions to question the implementing rules and
regulation of the Attrition Law.
“Even
last year, BoC said the goal of P196 billion was a
fighting target. This year it was also a fighting target
but I don’t think (DBCC) would agree to adjust our
target [lower],” Umali said at the sidelines of the
meeting.
BoC will
meet DBCC this week.
“It’s
either they should accept a contract or not, but there
are repercussions,” he added.
As of
press time, the collectors had not signed the manifesto,
a draft of which was also not released to the media.
Adelina
S.E. Molina, collector for the Manila International
Container Port and the designated spokesman for the
Collectors Association of the Philippines, said they are
not seeking any concession agreement between BOC.
“It’s
just that this has been our career and for most of us
this job has been our life,” she said.
The
P228.2-billion target was assumed on the $60 billion
worth of imports expectations for 2007. From the figure,
the DBCC computed about P400-billion to P450-billion
collections from the 5-percent duties and 12-percent
value-added tax.
“I think
the target is achievable since we can always adjust it
to what is happening in reality,” Umali said, adding
that each port should identify what should be adjusted.
“Whatever your [collectors] are, you should consider
that DBM (Department of Budget and Management) view this
reward as an expense item. The DOF (Department of
Finance) will view this as a policy issue and would also
attack our reward because if we cannot implement the
attrition law how can we be rewarded,” Umali said.
The DOF
heads the Revenue Performance Evaluation Board, the body
that will implement the Attrition Law, while DBM is a
member. The other two members are the National Economic
and Development Authority and the BOC.
Last
week, BOC commissioner Napoleon Morales also failed to
persuade the collectors to sign in the agreement.
Based on
the IRR, revenue collectors need to sign the agreement
that would give the government the position to dismiss
them if they failed to reach their target for the year.
According to the goal, the
Port of
Manila
will have the highest target this year with P74.68
billion, followed by the Manila International Container
Port at P57.12 billion. Batangas Port has a goal of
P49.9 billion, Ninoy Aquino International Airport at
P17.05 billion, Cebu Port at P4.65 billion, Subic Bay at
P4.47 billion, Cagayan de Oro at P2.36 billion, Davao
at P1.7 billion, San Fernando at P985 million, Clark
Field at P750 million, Tacloban at P490 million, Iloilo
at P366 million, Zamboanga at P80-million, Surigao at
P70 million, and Legazpi at P24 million.
BOC is
the second-largest revenue generator of the national
government. |
