GMA clips finance chief’s power over Customs

Finance Secretary Margarito Teves has lost his additional powers over the Bureau of Customs (BOC) after President Arroyo repealed her order granting him the extra powers last December. No reasons were cited for the President’s directive.

Under Administrative Order No. 156, the President revoked AO 133 dated Dec. 27, 2005 titled "Strengthening the Powers of the Secretary of Finance over the Bureau of Customs."

"This administrative order shall take effect immediately," the President’s order signed July 4 read.

With a "strengthened authority" under AO 133, the finance secretary had the power to transfer, detail and assign or reassign presidential appointees of the BOC, notwithstanding the specific designation, group assignment, office or station stated in their respective appointments.

But the transfer, detail or assignment should not affect the tenure of office of the concerned officials nor result in the change of status, demotion in rank and/or deduction in salary and should be made only in accordance with civil service laws, rules and regulations.

The President issued AO 133 at the time the government was trying to improve its revenue collections.

The BOC is actually under the Department of Finance but the President strengthened the powers of the finance secretary over the agency to make it a more flexible and highly responsive organization to carry out the revenue objectives of government.

Executive Order No. 47 dated Dec. 8, 1998 provides that the DOF secretary shall have the power to review, reverse, revise, modify or set aside decisions of the BOC, subject to the Civil Service Law, regarding the bureau’s personnel appointments, promotion, assignment, transfer, detail, suspension and such other personnel action concerning them.

The Tariff and Customs Code, as amended, likewise authorizes the finance secretary to approve the assignment or transfer of any employee of the BOC to any port, service, division or office within the bureau.