WHEREAS, it is the declared policy of the State to promote efficiency in the collection of taxes and customs duties;

WHEREAS, the Bureau of Customs performs a major role in the collection of revenues for the government;

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 39, Series of 1986 enlarged the powers and functions of the Commissioner of Customs by authorizing him the following:

a) To appoint Bureau personnel, except those appointed by the President;

b) To discipline, suspend, dismiss or otherwise penalize erring Bureau officers and employees;

c) To act on all matters pertaining to promotion, transfer, detail, reassignment, reemployment and other personal action, involving officers and employees of the Bureau of Customs.

WHEREAS, the Department of Finance is mandated to be primarily responsible for the sound and efficient management of the financial resources of the government, its subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities;

WHEREAS, the Bureau of Customs is attached to the Department of Finance;

WHEREAS, it is indispensable for the Department of Finance to have full supervision and control over the Bureau of Customs to effectively carry out its mandate of promoting the efficient collection of government revenues;

WHEREAS, there is a need, in the exigency of public service, to see to it that the policy formulated and adopted by the Department of Finance be properly implemented;

WHEREAS, the President of the Philippines has the continuing power to reorganize the National Government as established under Presidential Decree No. 1416, as amended by Presidential Decree No. 1772 and the Revised Administrative Code of 1987;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA, President of the Republic of the Philippines, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. The Secretary of Finance shall have the power to review, reverse, revise, modify or set aside decisions of the Bureau of Customs, subject to the Civil Service Law, regarding the Bureau ™s personnel appointments, promotion, assignment, transfer, detail, suspension, dismissal and such other personnel action concerning them.

SECTION 2.REPEALING CLAUSE. All executive orders, administrative orders, proclamations, rules and regulations or parts thereof that are inconsistent with this Order are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 3. EFFECTIVITY. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 8th  day of December in the year of Our lord Nineteen Hundred and Ninety Eight.

(SGD.) JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA
President of the Philippines

By the President:

(SGD.) RONALDO B. ZAMORA
Executive Secretary