Customs office opens across Laoag airport

LAOAG CUSTOMS OFFICE --  Bureau of Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio (right) and Ilocos Norte Gov. Matthew Joseph Manotoc lead ribbon-cutting ceremony for new BOC sub-port office in Laoag City Tuesday, Aug. 8. The new office is located across the Laoag International Airport. -- Leilanie G. Adriano/PNA

By Leilanie Adriano 

LAOAG CITY – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) opened on Tuesday a new office for the sub-port of Laoag in Ilocos Norte.
    Located in a two-story building across the Laoag International Airport in Barangay 36 Araniw, the new office is expected to boost economic growth in the region.
    During the blessing and inauguration, Commissioner Bienvenido Yapo Rubio said it was an honor to bring the BOC services closer to fellow Ilocanos.
    The new BOC chief hails from Batac City and was appointed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in February.
    Following his appointment, he vowed to surpass the revenue target by simplifying and securing the facilitation of trade, curbing smuggling of any form, and uplifting the morale of Customs personnel.
    Part of promoting professionalism, integrity, and accountability in the government workforce is the presence of a comfortable office environment that is accessible to clients, he said.
    The Laoag Customs office used to occupy a rented townhouse, about three kilometers from the airport.

    “This new office is a milestone and a day of achievement for us. We take pride and expressed our gratitude for the support of the BOC and to all those who have extended their help to make this happen,” said Laoag Customs sub-port collector Raechelle Baviera during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

    Next to the sub-port of Currimao in Ilocos Norte and the sub-port of Irene in Sta. Ana, Cagayan, the sub-port here is the third sub-port under the BOC District Processing Unit in the Port of Aparri, Cagayan province.

    Soon, another sub-port office will open in the Port of Claveria in Cagayan.

    In 2022, the BOC-Port of Aparri recorded an all-time high revenue collection of PHP1.4 billion, exceeding its annual target of PHP400 million. (PNA)