Pride
 01 April 2008

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Yesterday, it was the 20th Anniversary of the Enforcement and Security Service (ESS) of the Bureau of Customs.

Of course, the Bureau itself is over 100 years old, but the ESS, including its present head, recently-retired Philippine National Police Director Narciso Radovan Jr., is relatively newly-minted.

I could not pass up the opportunity to address the BOC rank-and-file and officers led by Commissioner Napoleon "Boy" Morales, to thank them for their effort to raise revenues for the bigticket projects that I oversee as head of the infrastructure monitoring group under the Pro-Performance System.

Hereunder are excerpts from my remarks yesterday:

"In addition to being the PMS Secretary, I have oversight of the President’s major infrastructure program, principally the priority projects in the five Super Regions created by the President more than two years ago.

These projects, which will cost some P2.06 trillion under the updated Comprehensive Infrastructure Investment Program, are made possible by your relentless efforts to raise customs revenues.

Last year, customs collections reached P210 billion, a modest increase of 6.2 percent over the 2006 levels, but a very significant contribution towards our efforts to balance the budget, and finally put our fiscal house in fine order.

Under the Super Regions development strategy, selected regions and provinces are grouped according to their economic strengths, to stimulate economic growth, spread development away from Metro Manila, and set the country in step with our Asian neighbors.

We have the following Super Regions, with their respective development themes: The North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle (NLAQ), which shall focus on agribusiness development; The Luzon Urban Beltway (LUB), which shall serve as a globally competitive logistics and services hub; The Central Philippines, with its central theme of tourism development; The Mindanao agribusiness super region, which shall also focus on agribusiness development; and The Cyber Corridor, which shall promote information and communications technology and the knowledge economy.

Each Super Region’s development thrust shall be realized through the implementation of infrastructure and social projects, which are all part of the President’s social payback program.

Another part of social payback is the promotion of entrepreneurship through Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise or MSME. I have also been given oversight of the President’s MSME program.

From 2004 to 2007, some 203.61 billion pesos have been released in loans to 3.65 million MSME clients, creating more than 2.1 million new jobs.

About 3.6 million of those borrowers are in the microfinance category -- with loans as low as R3,000, paid over cycles of three months or less -- and it is in them that we have seen the most dramatic and heart-warming impacts. About 33 percent of these borrowers are farmers; 23 percent fisherfolk; 27 percent in the informal sector; and, mostly part of the so-called underground economy that our critics say we do not serve.

Consider some of the lives changed by the microfinance program: Elizabeth Bedra, owns a fleet of tricycles from a P5,000.00 loan; Salvacion Canlas, supplies doormats to Shoemart; Virginia Borde, rents out tractors and agri-machineries; Leticia Gerona, makes baby dresses; Myrna Borata, resells and repacks sundry items; Edith Santiago, recycles tetra packs into accessories -- the list can go on, differing only in names and ingenuity, but having the same life-changing effect.

I am not trotting out these stories and programs to daze you with the numbers. Or dazzle you with the impacts. I bring them up that you may share with us the sense of achievement, the fulfillment, and the swelling pride that can only come from knowing that we are doing our job, and doing it well.

At this time when the public is relentlessly harangued, in media and in the forum of choice of our critics, with all kinds of charges and allegations, flimsy and baseless as they are, it is easier to shrink and shrivel, to duck and hide, fearing that the public has already condemned us.

When you should be at that juncture of undeserved self-shame, and unjust public condemnation, before you hang your head low, think of Elizabeth Bedra, of Salvacion Canlas, of Virginia Borata, and the over 3 million lives that have been changed because you did your job well -- and hold your head high!

You are part of the President’s legacy team. And you have every reason to be proud of it."

Truly proud yesterday were individual and unit awardees, including retirees, who were cited for their outstanding achievements and commendable work in the year 2007.

Awardees in the individual categories were: Allen S. Dela Cruz, Special Agent I; Julio F. Bautista, Special Agent II; Arnel A. Baylosis, Junior Officer; Capt. Rizalina E. Parong, Senior Officer; Capt. Andresito M. Abayon, Operation Officer; Capt. Jesus Francisco S. Gutierrez, Staff Officer; CM Manuel De Guzman, NonUniform Personnel; Major Isabelo A. Tibayan III, Field Grade Officer; Col Jose N. Yuchongco, District Commander of the Year.

The District Command of the Year award was given to the Port of Manila District Office while the District Office of the Year award was given to the Operations and Intelligence Office. Also cited for Special Awards were SPAS Angelito M. Santiago and Capt. Marlon M. Almeda.

The retirees presented with Certificates of Recognition were: Comm. Equipt Optr II Ernesto G. Gellangala; SA I Roberto E. Eding, Jr.; Customs Seaman Enrique A. Ocampo; SA I Amelio C. Bartolome; Customs Seaman Angelito H. Estores; SA II Quiterio B. Orolfo; SA I Jose M. Tabios; Special Police Capts. Diosdado C. De Jesus and Benjamin S. Capacite; SA I Reynaldo T. Mendez; and SA II Artemio Castillo.

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