Customs applicants must take qualifying exams — Sevilla

MANILA, Philippines —No more “padrino” system.

Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner John Sevilla said all applicants for positions at the agency must now take qualifying exams as part of BOC’s goal of transforming its hiring and selection process.

The BOC has partnered with the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in this initiative.
The CSC will manage and supervise the test processes as well as the development and conduct of pre-qualifying tests for supervisory and non-supervisory positions.
The tests are on general aptitude and ethics-oriented personality.

“This is a landmark partnership that will further elevate our hiring process. With our partnership with the Civil Service Commission headed by Chairman Francisco T. Duque III, we are positive that we will be able to put into fruition processes that will ensure that all future BOC employees are competent, professional and ethical public servants,” Sevilla said.

“We want to make sure that our employees are hired not because they have backers or have endorsements but because of their merit and they are physically fit to work. We also won’t tolerate nepotism, which can be a cause of corruption, that is why we will not entertain applicants who have relatives in the bureau up to the 4th degree of consanguinity,” he added.  

With the new hiring process, all applicants shall be initially screened by personnel selection boards, composed of deputy commissioners, service directors and district collectors. Applicants who pass the initial screening will take the tests administered by the CSC. Applicants who pass these tests will move on to second screening, consisting of a competency-based exam and panel interview. Physical examination will also be conducted for applicants for positions in the Intelligence and Enforcement groups.

In July, the BOC announced 1,056 vacancies, consisting of first and second level positions for the agency’s various groups, offices, and collection districts across the country.

Sevilla said the additional manpower was needed to inspect the 3,000 entries and over 6,000 individual items being imported across Philippine ports every day.

He said the new hiring process “is not primarily motivated by growth in collection. But this would reduce the waiting time. Now if the result of that is an improvement in our collection, it will be a bonus.”

The BOC now has only 3,600 employees. The lack of manpower stemmed from the retirement and resignation of workers, death, as well as dropping from the rolls and dismissal from service.

In August 2013, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago filed the Anti-Political Recommendations bill seeking to ban the padrino system in the wake of reports that politicians recommended the promotion of the alleged “3 kings” at the Customs.  

Under the bill, any government official, including senators, representatives, mayors, governors and even justices, caught being a padrino could face fines of up to P30,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year. – Rappler.com