BATANGAS — TARGET SMASHED!

The numbers are in—and they are hard to ignore.

Under the leadership of Port of Batangas District Collector Carmelita “Mimel” M. Talusan, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Batangas collected a staggering ₱24.540 billion in September 2026, crushing its monthly target of ₱22.642 billion.

That means an impressive ₱1.898 billion ABOVE TARGET, equivalent to an 8.38% positive deviation.

This is not a small margin.

This is nearly ₱1.9 billion in additional revenue delivered beyond what was expected from one of the country’s major collection districts.

₱22.64-B TARGET? BATANGAS BLEW PAST IT!

The official figures tell the story:

Port of Batangas — September 2026

Amount

Monthly Target

₱22,642,095,648.74

Actual Collection

₱24,540,105,380.50

Collection Surplus

₱1,898,009,731.76

Positive Deviation

8.38%

While other ports struggled to meet their respective targets, Batangas stood firmly on the positive side of the ledger.

The message from the figures is unmistakable:

BATANGAS DID NOT JUST COLLECT. BATANGAS DELIVERED.

⸻

THE TALUSAN FORMULA: FACILITATE TRADE, PROTECT THE BORDER

What makes the Batangas performance particularly significant is the balancing act required from Customs.

The Port cannot simply slam the brakes on legitimate commerce in the name of enforcement.

Neither can Customs sacrifice border protection just to make trade move faster.

The challenge is to do both.

FAST FOR LEGITIMATE TRADE. HARD ON ILLEGAL TRADE.

That is where effective Customs administration matters.

A port such as Batangas must keep legitimate shipments moving through efficient processing, proper assessment, risk-based examination and stronger coordination with stakeholders—while maintaining aggressive enforcement against undervaluation, misdeclaration, prohibited shipments and other forms of customs fraud.

That combination creates a collection environment where legitimate trade is facilitated while government revenue is protected.

And September’s numbers show that the formula produced a substantial result.

⸻

NO FREE PASS FOR SMUGGLERS

Revenue collection is not merely about collecting duties and taxes.

Behind every peso collected is the government’s responsibility to ensure that importations are properly declared, correctly classified and appropriately assessed.

That means border protection must remain relentless.

The Port of Batangas has to stay alert against possible attempts to defeat the customs system through:

MISDECLARATION.
UNDERVALUATION.
WRONG CLASSIFICATION.
CONCEALMENT.
ILLEGAL DIVERSION.
AND OTHER SMUGGLING SCHEMES.

Every shipment that enters the country represents a potential revenue issue—and potentially a border-security issue.

This is why effective risk management, intelligence coordination, examination procedures and post-clearance verification remain critical weapons in the Customs arsenal.

Smuggling should never be allowed to become a business model.

⸻

TRADE FACILITATION + REVENUE PROTECTION = BATANGAS MOMENTUM

The September performance also underscores an important Customs principle:

Trade facilitation and enforcement are not enemies.

When legitimate importers experience predictable procedures, timely processing and professional service, compliant trade can move more efficiently.

At the same time, risk-based enforcement allows Customs personnel to focus attention where the risks are higher.

That means the Port can pursue a strategy built around:

Faster legitimate transactions.
Smarter cargo targeting.
Stronger valuation and assessment.
Tighter border protection.
Better coordination.
Aggressive action against fraud.
And continuous revenue monitoring.

That is the battlefield where modern Customs administration is won.

⸻

₱1.898 BILLION SURPLUS—THAT’S THE STORY!

Let us put the September numbers in plain language.

Batangas was given a target of approximately ₱22.64 billion.

The Port collected approximately ₱24.54 billion.

The difference?

₱1.898 BILLION.

That’s government revenue collected beyond the monthly target.

And with an 8.38% positive deviation, Batangas demonstrated a substantial margin above its September goal.

For Collector Mimel Talusan, the numbers provide a concrete performance marker.

But the bigger challenge now is obvious:

CAN BATANGAS KEEP THE MOMENTUM?

Because one month of success is an achievement.

SUSTAINED PERFORMANCE IS THE REAL TEST.

⸻

TALUSAN’S BATANGAS: COLLECTION WITH TEETH

The Port of Batangas cannot afford complacency.

The higher the collection performance, the greater the responsibility to protect the integrity of the port.

The winning formula must remain clear:

FACILITATE THE HONEST.
EXPOSE THE FRAUDULENT.
STOP THE SMUGGLER.
PROTECT GOVERNMENT REVENUE.

That is the kind of Customs operation that legitimate businesses need—and that the Filipino taxpayer deserves.

September 2026 has already produced the headline:

BATANGAS +₱1.898 BILLION!

Under Collector Mimel Talusan, the Port of Batangas did not merely chase the target.

IT HUNTED IT DOWN—and left the target behind.

And now, with the September scoreboard firmly in the books, the pressure shifts to the next month:

KEEP COLLECTING. KEEP PROTECTING. KEEP THE PORT MOVING.

Because in Batangas, the message from the numbers is loud and unmistakable:

₱24.54 BILLION COLLECTED. ₱1.898 BILLION SURPLUS. 8.38% ABOVE TARGET.

BATANGAS IS ON THE ATTACK.

Spread the news