THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) announced recently that personnel from the Enforcement and Security Service (ESS) of the agency’s Enforcement Group (EG) has seized 81 shipments for the first quarter of 2023.
During the 35th founding anniversary of ESS, Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio reported that for the first quarter of 2023, the group seized 81 shipments with an estimated value of P999.474 million.
In 2022, the EG recorded 397 seized shipments amounting to P1.044 billion. The ESS was created under the EG in 2009 through Executive Order 805 issued by then-President Gloria M. Arroyo.
Rubio also recognized the contribution of EG in the successful implementation of the fuel marking program.
The BOC, through the ESS, marked four billion liters from January to March this year, about 22.22 percent of the total 18 billion liters of petroleum products marked in 2022.
“With this kind of performance, the ESS is evidently of great help and is necessary in attaining our 5-Point Priority Program,” Rubio said.
“Crafted through 35 years of existence, the ESS remains not only in the forefront of border protection but also of strictly implementing security measures that ensure the safety of the entire Customs community,” the commissioner added.
Moreover, the BOC has recognized deserving ESS offices and personnel, including the ESS Motor Vehicle Monitoring and Clearance Office, the Environmental Protection and Compliance Division, the ESS Quick Reaction Team and the Customs Firearms and Explosives Unit.
Rubio also said, he started his career as a special agent with the ESS. The entry level position opened a lot of platforms for the commissioner to improve his capabilities and learn the ropes at the bureau.
“This is, likewise, why I fully understand the demands of being in the ESS, as it has a myriad of roles to execute within and even outside the Bureau. And these roles are what we celebrate in today’s occasion,” he said.
Furthermore, the ESS continues to implement heightened security measures to achieve its mission to protect the national borders and to safeguard government revenues, aligned with the priority program of the government.