PHL lost P82B in revenues due to misdeclared goods from China —Lacson

The government lost at least P82 billion worth of revenue from products imported from China in 2017 due to misdeclaration, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Thursday.

Lacson said, based on figures from United Nations database on international trade on China exports and World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution, China exported $32,065,932.45 worth of products in the Philippines in 2017.

But the Philippines reported that it only received $18,477,818.27 worth of products.

“Right away, we are looking at a discrepancy of $13,588,114.18 nung 2017, kung P50.40 to a dollar in 2017 so P684,840,954.67. Sa VAT (value added tax) na lang, i-multiply ng 12 percent, nawalan agad tayo ng P82 billion in 2017 revenue,” said Lacson.

“We are only talking of China, we are not even talking of other exporting countries to the Philippines. That’s only (Bureau of) Customs ha, we are not even talking of BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue),” he added.

He made the presentation during the briefing of the Development Budget Coordination Committee on the proposed 2020 national budget before the Senate finance committee.

Lacson said the leakages are mostly self inflicted, meaning some from the Customs is benefitting from it. He said the BOC should push for automation to avoid human intervention in transactions.

“Computerized na tayo but no automation.  In Singapore, China, and other countries wala nang human intervention," Lacson said.

"Walang human factor setting in, everything is automated, everything is done online, even the payment is done online. So right away if we automate, we eliminate leakages,” he added.

Customs deputy commissioner Edward James Dy Buco said the bureau was now geared for automation but would need funds for it.

“We wanted to automate, in fact, it is one of our request in our budget proposal. Only through automation that these issues will be addressed, full automation ang sagot sa lahat," Dy Buco said.

"‘Yung issue ng discrepancy sa record, nangyayari dahil sa misdeclaration as to weight. Ang isang isang tolenada ay dinedeclare na kulang sa  tonelada,” he added.

Dy Buco said the BOC needed P785 million this year for the automation program and P6 billion to fund their five-year plan.

Acting Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said the amount was not in the 2020 proposed budget but they would not oppose if it would be included.

“It was not included in the National Expenditure Program but we defer to the Senate,” Avisado said.

Dy Buco said the bureau was already instructing their frontliners to strictly follow the weight stated in the vessel stowage plan.

“Kung susundin ang stowage plan, ‘yung stowage plan ng vessel hindi mapapalitan, it does not lie kasi lulubog ang  barko pag nawala ang balance. That’s why kung ano ang nakalagay sa stowage plan ng barko, yun po talaga ang weight, ‘yan ang sinusunod ngayon,” Dy Buco said.

He said the bureau had addressed the discrepancy in volume because of the instruction. —NB, GMA News