The various ports across the country posted revenue collection averaging 2.5 percent more in 2023 than in previous year, based on preliminary data generated by the Bureau of Customs in April this year.
The increase was made possible in part by some of the biggest ports as that in Batangas, whose collection rose 12.3 percent to P229.41 billion; the port of Limay who collection went up 1.18 percent to P123.28 billion; and the port of Subic whose collection 4-percent collection performance of P50.679 billion was the most impressive among them.
While port revenue collection trended higher during the period, not all monitored ports posted increases, such as the port of Iloilo to only P4.47 billion from P5.02 billion, the port of Cebu to only P39.27 billion from P42.88 billion and the port of Davao to only P41.66 billion from P43.62 billion.
The Bureau of Customs under commissioner Bienvenido Rubio would eventually collect P883.21 billion in 2023, which was 2.4 percent more than in prior year.
Of the amount, P883.21 billion were import duties and taxes representing a 2.4 percent improvement from prior year collection of only P862.42 billion.
This performance would reflect positively on the agency’s first-quarter 2024 performance as commissioner Rubio achieved a collection effort averaging higher to 3.58 percent of local output measured as the gross domestic product.
