The numbers are in—and the Port of Cebu is once again showing its collection muscle.
Under the leadership of District Collector Atty. Zsae Carrie De Guzman, the Port of Cebu recorded a September 2026 collection of ₱4,874,508,292.99, smashing its monthly target of ₱4,745,411,771.54.
That means Cebu Customs generated a ₱129,096,521.45 surplus, equivalent to a 2.72% positive deviation over the assigned target.
That is not just a number. That is a statement.
While revenue collection remains the lifeblood of the Bureau of Customs, the challenge is not merely to collect more—it is to collect correctly, efficiently and without compromising border security and legitimate trade.
And that is where the Port of Cebu’s performance becomes significant.

₱4.87-BILLION COLLECTION: CEBU GETS THE JOB DONE

The official September CY 2026 figures show the Port of Cebu exceeding its target by more than ₱129 million.

The result puts Cebu among the ports that posted positive deviations during the month, contributing to the Bureau’s overall September collection of ₱93.33 billion, against a target of ₱89.184 billion.

For Cebu, however, the battle is distinctly local.

It is about keeping cargo moving.

It is about protecting the country’s borders.

It is about ensuring that legitimate importers are facilitated while questionable or unlawful shipments face proper scrutiny.

And it is about making every peso legally collectible count.

TRADE FACILITATION MEETS BORDER PROTECTION

Behind a strong collection figure is a Customs operation that has to balance two seemingly competing demands: speed up legitimate trade while tightening the gates against illicit trade.

For the Port of Cebu, this means efficient processing, proper assessment and valuation, risk-based examination, stronger monitoring of shipments and sustained enforcement against smuggling and misdeclaration.

Trade facilitation is not about lowering the guard.

It is about making the right shipments move faster while making the wrong shipments harder to move.

That distinction is crucial in one of the country’s major commercial gateways.

A modern Customs port cannot afford unnecessary delays for compliant traders. At the same time, it cannot allow speed and convenience to become loopholes for smugglers.

THE MESSAGE FROM CEBU IS CLEAR

The September figures provide a concrete measure of performance:

TARGET: ₱4,745,411,771.54
ACTUAL COLLECTION: ₱4,874,508,292.99
SURPLUS: ₱129,096,521.45
POSITIVE DEVIATION: 2.72%

That is money collected for the government—and revenue protected from being lost through undervaluation, misdeclaration, illicit importation and other forms of revenue leakage.

Under Collector Atty. De Guzman, the Port of Cebu’s monthly performance demonstrates the importance of combining revenue collection, trade facilitation and border protection rather than treating them as separate missions.

NO ROOM FOR COMPLACENCY

But here’s the hard truth:

One month of beating the target is not the finish line.

Customs collection is a daily battle.

Every arriving vessel, every container, every declaration and every assessment presents another opportunity either to protect government revenue—or to lose it.

That means the Port of Cebu must maintain the pressure.

Keep the legitimate trade flowing. Keep the revenue coming. Keep the smugglers guessing.

And most importantly, keep enforcement grounded on proper assessment, intelligence, risk management and the law.

For September, the scoreboard belongs to Cebu:

₱4.87 BILLION COLLECTED.
₱129 MILLION ABOVE TARGET.
2.72% POSITIVE DEVIATION.

For Collector Atty. Zsae Carrie De Guzman and the Port of Cebu team, the message from the figures is unmistakable:

TARGET BEATEN. REVENUE PROTECTED. CEBU CUSTOMS DELIVERS.

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