President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has removed six officials from the Bureau of Customs (BOC), including its top commissioner, as part of a wider reshuffle within his administration, Malacañang confirmed on Tuesday.
The Palace did not cite specific reasons for the officials’ removal but emphasized the President’s continuing efforts to improve performance and transparency in government agencies.
Former Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio was replaced by Ariel Nepomuceno, who took his oath of office before the President earlier this week. According to Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro, the changes affected multiple ranks within the BOC.
“Hindi lamang po isa ang pinalitan, anim po kasama po ang Commissioner sa napalitan—may mga collectors, may deputy commissioners and directors,” Castro told reporters in a Palace briefing.
She clarified that while speculations may arise about possible irregularities, “We cannot say that.”
“The only purpose of the President is there is a continuing performance evaluation, everybody is on notice, everybody is on probation,” she said, noting the revamp aims to push for better service delivery.
“Ang tanging gusto ng Pangulo ay maging tapat sa bansa, labanan ang smuggling at siyempre po maging transparent sa koleksiyon ng revenues,” Castro added.
Among Nepomuceno’s key directives are to reinforce border protection and intensify efforts against smuggling, signaling the administration’s firm stance on clean and efficient customs operations.
