BUOYED by last year’s anti-smuggling and anti-corruption campaign, Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno on Wednesday vowed to double the agency’s efforts this year through the implementation of a series of reforms and stringent enforcement to improve revenue collection and enhance operational integrity. “We are committed to fighting smuggling and all forms of irregularities in the bureau every step of the way. The public can count on us to make Customs an agency they can trust,” Nepomuceno said. “These initiatives are in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s anti-smuggling and anti-corruption program, which strives to establish a government built on trust and good governance,” he added. Nepomuceno said that in 2025, the bureau netted nearly P61.707 billion in smuggled goods through 1,024 successful enforcement operations. Based on preliminary data, the most significant seizures in 2025 included P28.47 billion worth of general commodities, P17.72 billion in counterfeit goods, P5.63 billion in dangerous drugs, P4.80 billion in wildlife and natural resources, and P1.86 billion in tobacco products. In addition, BOC conducted 85 seizure operations involving agricultural products, resulting in the confiscation of over P622 million worth of smuggled goods. Nepomuceno said the BOC also revoked or suspended the accreditation of 40 importers and 12 customs brokers found to have violated customs laws and regulations, and filed 64 criminal cases with the Department of Justice (DOJ), including 31 cases involving agricultural smuggling. “This is reflective of the BOC’s zero-tolerance policy against illicit trade and customs violations,” he added. As part of ongoing reforms to curb smuggling and corruption, Nepomuceno said that the bureau is moving toward full computerization to eradicate smuggling and other forms of irregularities, in compliance with the bureau’s international commitment, which includes integration into an Asean-wide electronic exchange of certificate of origin, which prohibits manual submission. “We need to digitize our system. Otherwise, existing problems will keep recurring,” the customs chief stressed. “The right solution [to stop corruption] is to digitalize the entire process to avoid face-to-face interaction between customs personnel and brokers, importers, and other stakeholders or so-called customs players.” Nepomuceno said that digitalization and related reforms to improve customs processes and generate more revenue for the government cannot be done overnight, even as he assured that, slowly, through the support of well-meaning customs officials and employees, “we can eliminate corruption.” He said the push for full digitalization of customs processes goes beyond improving revenue collection. “The main goals for full digitalization are not only focused on ensuring that the proper revenues will be collected — of course, that’s the most important and immediate impact of achieving full digitalization — but we know that smuggling goes further,” he said. He added that addressing smuggling will have a domino effect, improving investor confidence and promoting fair competition by preventing smugglers from exploiting gaps in the system. “Aside from increasing collections, these processes will be efficient. But more important will be the macroeconomic impact of being able to control smuggling,” he said. “Our gains in 2025 demonstrate what decisive leadership and collective accountability can achieve. The Bureau of Customs remains firmly committed to transparent enforcement that protects government revenue, legitimate trade, and the welfare of the Filipino people,” Nepomuceno said.