New BOC unit to boost collection

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s chief economic manager is upbeat about government revenue collection in 2026, as the Bureau of Customs (BOC) moves to strengthen its policy- and intelligence-driven decision-making with the creation of a new strategic unit under the BOC chief's first order of the year.

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Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Frederick D. Go told Manila Bulletin on Wednesday, Jan. 7, that he is "optimistic" about how revenue-collecting agencies will perform this year.

He said the DOF "will closely monitor the performance of the BOC and provide stronger policy support to ensure that targets are met." This comes after the BOC fell short of its 2025 collection goal of P958.7 billion. Last year, the country's second-largest tax collection agency raked in only P934.4 billion, which was reportedly affected by weaker imports, the rice import ban, and global price jitters.