MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Commissioner John Sevilla, the head of the Bureau of Customs in the Philippines, has tendered his resignation on Thursday, citing vague reasons for his decision.
Commissioner Sevilla announced his resignation and said it will take effect as soon as Philippine President Benigno Aquino III names a successor.
Sevilla, who replaced Rufino Biazon, did not elaborate on the reason for his resignation aside from saying that “when you do something right at the Customs, you will have to face some risks”.
Sevilla has introduced several reforms in Customs, making more transactions transparent, such as the “importer’s bible.”
Sevilla also continued the high-profile campaign against smugglers, filing cases against them nearly every week, InterAksyon reported
Before becoming Customs chief, Sevilla served as Department of Finance undersecretary in charge of the government’s privatization efforts.
A former investment banker based in Hong Kong, Sevilla joined government during the Arroyo administration as DOF undersecretary.
Malacañang confirmed Sevilla’s resignation and thanked the Customs Commissioner for his “exemplary leadership”.
Communications Secretary Heminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement they have received the information from the Office of the Finance Secretary regarding Sevilla’s resignation.
Finance Secretary Cesar Purisma, in behalf of President Benigno Aquino III, thanked Sevilla for his exemplary leadership in implementing reforms in the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
“I thank Commissioner Sevilla for his dedicated service and relentless pursuit of good governance in the Bureau of Customs,” Purisima said.
Purisima said Sevilla led Customs’ transformation into “one of the most radically open and transparent agencies in government,” adding that the Customs chief took “great strides” in reducing graft and corruption.
“The Bureau of Customs is the most improved national government agency in terms of revenue collection last year, thanks in no small part to the person who lead it,” Purisima said. – BusinessNewsAsia.com