Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 14) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants to improve data sharing among government agencies to help curb smuggling in the country.
The President discussed the issue during a recent meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said in a statement on Saturday.
“We have a system but they are not working. The smuggling here in this country is absolutely rampant,” Marcos, as quoted by the PCO, told PSAC members.
“So we really have to find something else,” he added. “We cannot continue to depend on these systems which have already proven themselves to be quite ineffective.”
Some of the recommendations discussed during the meeting include expanding the database for the Bureau of Customs and Department of Agriculture, as well as “delineating functions or establishing new agencies if necessary.”
“The government cannot continue to sweep the issue under the rug because the cost to the state and private businesses is enormous,” the chief executive stressed.
Reports of various commodities being smuggled into the country have surfaced in the past months. The current administration has repeatedly vowed to take action on the matter.
