The Bureau of Customs (BoC) is closely coordinating with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) as it begins its lifestyle check on officials and employees in a bid to get rid of corruption in the agency.

Customs Commissioner Angelito "Lito" A. Alvarez said the BIR will play a major role when the BoC begins checking lifestyle of its officials and employees to identify and weed out corrupt and inept workers among its ranks and reward those who are honestly serving the government.

"We have some ideas with regards to these people," Alvarez disclosed during a television interview. "But what we are doing right now is that if there will be promotions and changes in the organization, we would like to ensure that part of the process is a lifestyle check."

Alvarez also said that he will address all reports from citizens about erring employees taking advantage of brokers and importers.

Part of Alvarez's strategy against smuggling and corruption is to strengthen the BoC's monitor group and tapping experts from various business sectors.

To monitor underperforming regional offices, Alvarez said automating the collecting processes in the BOC will be crucial in determining and tracking the volume of importation and duties being paid to BoC.

"If there is a situation wherein we will be seeing the duties and taxes on an average basis is (declining) that's a very bad sign," Alvarez said.

"But if we will be seeing dramatic improvements in the duties and taxes that are being collected – which is what I am seeing right now – I think that is a very, very positive development," he added.

Recently, Alvarez has ordered the abolition of the Customs Accreditation Secretariat (CAS) which was the unit behind the accreditation of importers and brokers.

Alvarez gave the order after he received complaints from established importers groups and brokers that two out of 10 accredited importers and brokers by CAS are allegedly fly-by-night companies that are being merely used as fronts by smugglers.

The shake-up, Alvarez said, “is meant to rid the BoC of its perennial faults, defects, and weaknesses.”

In Customs Memorandum Order No. 30-2010, Alvarez replaced CAS with the Interim Customs Accreditation and Registration (ICARE) whose “main tasks are to purge bogus companies from the master list of accredited importers and brokers.”