Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 13) — Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno called on the new chief of the second biggest revenue collecting agency to prioritize digitalization to stem corruption.
He expressed his support for new Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio during a ceremonial turnover on Monday, a few days after President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. announced the appointment.The bureau is under the finance department.Diokno said Rubio must prioritize modernizing customs administration.“A digital customs administration allows the government to focus its resources in the identification of higher risk entities, while enhancing the ease of doing business,” the finance chief said.“As we enter 2023, I trust that Commissioner Rubio will bring in a fresh vision and even loftier targets to move the Bureau closer to the goal of becoming a modern and world-class Customs agency that ranks among the best in the world,” Diokno said.Rubio, who has been with the bureau since 2001, replaced Yogi Filemon Ruiz.Rubio said the agency aims to exceed revenue target, simplify and secure trade, and end smuggling.He said the agency would pursue digitalizing all processes and tap data in decision-making, adding that it would be “a forefront in revenue collection rather than corruption.”
