4 articles
The government is forgoing at least ₱700 million a month after President Marcos ordered a fresh suspension of excise taxes on LPG and kerosene amid an energy crisis — reviving a measure that already cost the treasury nearly ₱3 billion earlier this year, this time with no announced expiry.
Six shipments declared as poultry parts actually held 15,029 sacks of onions and 2,164 boxes of carrots without required clearances — and nine of the bureau's own Subic port personnel are among those now facing charges.
A sworn affidavit from an alleged middleman names two Bureau of Customs personnel as having received payment for 225 boxes of allegedly smuggled cigarettes, days after HPG and BOC personnel clashed during a warehouse raid in Santa Maria, Bulacan.
Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno says stricter cargo assessments will help the agency meet its ₱1.075-trillion 2027 collection target, but the proposed national budget carried over only ₱5.9 billion of the ₱28 billion the bureau sought for scanning machines and radiation detectors, a shortfall he says could delay port modernization and anti-smuggling efforts.
