The Bureau of Customs (BoC) is saying goodbye to its revenue target of P273 billion this year, pinning the blame on the low volume of imports and value of goods as a result of the ongoing global financial crisis.

Data culled from BoC showed that the Port of Manila (PoM) led in the worst performing ports, with a shortfall of P15.4 billion, or close to half of the agency’s P36.02 billion deficit from January to September.

PoM, under the watch of newly installed district collector and lawyer Rogel Gatchalian, was off its supposed target of P43.63 billion during the nine-month period after the Manila port only collected P28.22 billion.

As of Sept., cash collections of BoC amounted to P165.39 billion as against the target of P201.42 billion. Based on its targets, it still has to collect P64.72 billion during the months of October to December.

On the other hand, Edna Barrida, acting director of the Customs Financial Service, said other ports such as the Ninoy Aquino International Port gained a major breakthrough in its cash collections with a surplus of P794 million to P12.75 billion. She said there are ports that improved its revenue shortfall from 35 percent to 20 percent even as the volume of imports was still down in the recent months.

Other smaller ports that reportedly managed to pull a surplus include ports of Legaspi, Cebu, Zamboanga, Davao, Subic Bay, Clark Field, and Aparri.

The Manila International Container Port, however, suffered a setback in its cash collections similar to that of PoM but a much lesser shortfall of just P6.07 billion, collecting P43.57 billion compared with its target of P49.65 billion.

Meanwhile, the latest round of increase in oil prices, according to Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales, is a positive development on their cash collections because they can collect the much-needed revenues for the remaining “ber” months. “When the prices of oil go up in the world market, that means we would collect more, we would collect higher taxes,” Morales said.