CUSTOMS Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno confirmed to The Manila Times that he will replace Joshua Bingcang as Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and CEO. Bingcang, meanwhile, will be transferred to the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).
Nepomuceno was appointed Customs commissioner on June 30 last year. Before that, he served as assistant commissioner of the Post Clearance Audit Group and deputy commissioner of the Enforcement Group.
Outside the Bureau of Customs (BOC), he was the director and chief executive officer of the Office of Civil Defense and was a consultant at the Office of the President.
During his tenure, Nepomuceno led 1,452 enforcement and intelligence operations that resulted in the seizure of P50.93 billion worth of smuggled and illegal goods.
From July 2025 to October 2026, the bureau collected P1.327 trillion in duties and taxes, helping fund government programs, infrastructure projects and essential public services.
He also pushed for the extension of Customs accreditation validity for importers, customs brokers and exporters from one year to three years.
Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Charlito Mendoza is being considered as a possible replacement for Nepomuceno as Customs chief.
Mendoza was appointed as the tax chief in November last year.
He served as undersecretary of the Revenue Operations Group at the Department of Finance, supervising the operations of the BIR and Customs to help ensure that the government is meeting its annual revenue collection targets.
He also worked as district collector for the BOC at the Port of Cebu from July 2019 to October 2022.
The BIR has a collection target of P3.39 trillion this year, while the Customs is expected to collect P1.011 trillion.
New PEZA chief
Bingcang said he only received the news of his transfer to PEZA on Thursday, adding that the transfer is part of the government’s efforts to align its plans and overall development programs and goals.
He said his transfer was a good transition as both the BCDA and the PEZA focus on promoting investments.
He also said he sees the transfer as a challenge, noting that the PEZA has a wider mandate and coverage.
Bingcang said he believed the administration had already considered the Pax Silica initiative, which is led by the BCDA, before the leadership shake-up. He noted that Trade Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo would take the lead for the Pax Silica initiative.
Finance Secretary Frederick Go said the country is fortunate that Bingcang will now bring his expertise to the country’s second-largest investment promotion agency next to the Board of Investments.
Trade Secretary Cristina Roque also congratulated Bingcang and welcomed him to PEZA.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) expressed concern over reports of leadership shakeups in government agencies, particularly in PEZA and the BOC.
“At a time when the country needs to strengthen investor confidence, expand exports and improve the ease of doing business, Philexport believes that preserving institutional continuity and sustaining reforms in these two agencies should be given utmost consideration,” it said in a statement on Thursday.
The organization said PEZA has delivered an impressive investment performance under the leadership of Director General Tereso Panga despite ongoing global uncertainties, geopolitical tensions and economic headwinds.
It also recognized reforms in the BOC under the leadership of BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno. They cited improvements in the BOC’s service delivery and its noninclusion in the Anti-Red Tape Authority’s list of the 10 most complained-about national government agencies for the first quarter of this year.
