DAVAO CITY—The Bureau of Customs surpassed its collection target last year by 20.84 percent to P16.4 billion, the highest in years and the second time it posted a surplus breaching the P1-billion mark.
On the average, the port of Davao posts an average surplus of P400 million to P500 million from its yearly target collection, and the only time it reached a P1-billion surplus was in 2014.
The record surplus of P2.833 billion that doubled the 2014 surplus happened “after a tumultuous period for the Bureau of Customs and a continuing martial law across Mindanao,” said Erastus Sandino B. Austria, district collector of the port of Davao.
“We would rather now say that the phenomenal collection has not been hampered by martial law and, instead, shows the robust health of the local economy,” he said
The collection last year was also five times more than the surplus posted the previous year. In 2016 the surplus was P511,863,613.07, or 4.5 percent of its P11,374,671,017 target.
Historically, though, Austria said, the port of Davao, officially under the Collection District XII, “has been meeting and exceeding its target.”
He said that, in 2012, the port collected P5,910,175,341.42 with a surplus of P531,594,341.42, or 9.88 percent of its target. In 2013 it collected P6,184,838,548.82 with a surplus of P459,770,548.82, or 8.03 percent of its target. In 2014 it collected a total of P8,925,540,000 or P1,238,710,000—16.11 percent—over its target.
In 2015 it collected P11,663,520,000 with a surplus of P962,350,000 or 8.99 percent of its target. In 2016 it collected a total of P11,886,534,630.46 or P511,863,613.07 (4.5 percent) over its target.
Aside from a robust local economy, Austria attributed the higher collection last year to the stricter enforcement of the rules and regulation at the office.
Fuel and oils topped the product shipment, both in volume and value. Salt, plastics and cement came in second as most unloaded and fertilizer in the categories of products in terms of volume.
In terms of value, the two other most unloaded products were iron and steel, and machinery.
China topped the list of countries of origin of the products, followed by Indonesia and
South Korea.
The rest were from the United States, Vietnam, Malaysia, Russia, Japan, Singapore and Thailand.
Austria said the all the district collectors would convene next week at the Office of Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena to map out strategies and set collection targets.