IMPROVED cargo valuation and stronger revenue collection measures enabled the Bureau of Customs to surpass its January-May collection target, helping offset the impact of lower import volumes amid challenging trade conditions.
Collections for the first five months of 2026 totaled P406.365 billion, surpassing the P397.050-billion goal by P9.315 billion, or 2.3 percent. This was also P24.629 billion, or 6.5 percent, higher than the amount collected during the same period in 2025.
Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said the bureau remained on track to meet its full-year goal of P1.003 trillion despite headwinds affecting global trade and import activity.
Collections reached P80.664 billion in May alone, 2.1 percent or P1.726 billion lower than targeted, but were higher than the P75.657 billion recorded in the same month last year.
Nepomuceno said the shortfall was largely due to reduced import volumes of both oil and non-oil commodities.
Collections were also affected by the implementation of Executive Order 114, series of 2026, which temporarily suspended excise taxes on selected petroleum products.
Nepomuceno said they remained “committed to sustaining its revenue collection momentum through enhanced trade facilitation, digital transformation initiatives, strengthened border control measures, and continued efforts to improve operational efficiency in support of the government’s fiscal objectives.”
