The Bureau of Customs (BoC), the Philippine government agency responsible for assessing and collecting tariffs and duties on imported goods, has created a new office under the Office of the Commissioner to centralize its coordination with government agencies, local government units, and private-sector stakeholders.

Under Customs Memorandum Order No. 17-2026, Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno ordered the creation of the Customs Local Affairs Office (CLAO), which will serve as the bureau's central office for domestic stakeholder engagement and institutional partnerships.

The office is tasked with developing, implementing, and monitoring programs that promote stakeholder engagement and public awareness. It will also act as the BoC's principal coordinating office for domestic inter-agency councils, committees, technical working groups, task forces, and other similar collaborative bodies.

In addition, the CLAO will maintain a centralized repository of memoranda of agreement, memoranda of understanding, partnership frameworks, institutional engagements, and other collaborative initiatives, giving the bureau a single record of its formal commitments to partner institutions.

The CLAO will operate as an ad hoc office headed by a director, with divisions, sections, and support units that may be authorized by the commissioner.

“Any plantilla positions necessary for the staffing of the CLAO shall be subject to the approval of the Department of Budget and Management,” the order stated. Plantilla positions are the permanent posts in a government office's authorized staffing structure, and the DBM's approval determines whether they can be created.

The order, signed Oct. 6, took effect immediately. Follow-through now centers on the DBM's review of any requested plantilla positions and the commissioner's authorization of the CLAO's internal structure. — Justine Irish D. Tabile, BusinessWorld