Officials and employees of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) have thrown their support behind beleaguered Customs Commissioner Isidro S. Lapeña, who is being held accountable by an underling for the alleged entry of billions of pesos worth of shabu that reportedly slipped past the Manila International Container Port (MICP).
Two separate manifestos—one signed by the deputy commissioners, service directors and division chiefs, and the other by bureau collectors—defended and praised the leadership of Lapeña at the Customs.
Arrest Guban and the rest
In what appears to be a signal that Lapeña may get to keep his post, President Duterte ordered the arrest of former Customs Intelligence Officer Jimmy Guban, who, as of late, remains under Senate custody, in connection with the entry of the P6.8-billion shabu shipment. The President, likewise, ordered the identification and arrest of other individuals involved in the drug smuggle.
In his speech during the 2017 Philippine Quality Award and Conferment Ceremony at the Palace, Duterte said he has instructed Philippine National Police chief Oscar D. Albayalde to execute the arrest order.
“That’s why I ordered the arrest of Guban. I said, right after the session, arrest him [Guban]. Albayalde asked, on what ground? Just arrest him. Bring him to
the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation],” Duterte said, adding that it was Guban who was the one who allowed the entry of the illegal drugs.
President Duterte’s arrest order came on the same day the House Committees on Dangerous Drugs and Good Government resumed its probe on the missing shabu shipment.
Days before the House probe, former x-ray chief Lourdes Mangaoang called for the resignation and replacement of Lapeña due to alleged negligence and incompetence as she believed that the four magnetic lifters found in Cavite used to contain shabu.
This was a claim that has since been disputed by Lapeña, saying that it has not been established that there were drugs inside the lifters and cited the negative results from the shabu swab test conducted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Defending Lapeña
“Through his [Lapeña’s] actions, he was able to lead us in the direction that he wants the BOC to tread and the type of leaders that he wants to institute the same. Under his leadership, the bureau started meeting its monthly collection target, and is currently operating on a surplus as the fiscal year comes to an end.
“On numerous occasions, these changes within our agency were recognized not only by the private sector but by Congress and the Executive [branch of government] as well,” an excerpt from the manifesto issued by the Collectors Association of the BOC said.
The collectors expressed their indignation over the “derisive actions” that, they said, have been taken against the Customs chief, alongside the men and women of the agency. They added that their group will remain unfazed and will continue to give Lapeña their full support for his vision and programs.
“He challenged the status quo that was prevailing within the BOC for decades. Changing the status quo has hit and hurt people within and outside the organization. We all stand by the commissioner in his desire to change how things have been done in the bureau for decades. We declare our collective support in his leadership,” the manifesto added.
They pointed out that since Lapeña’s assumption to office, the bureau has been consistently hitting its collection target every month for eight straight months.
Collection districts nationwide also posted their respective banners at their offices professing support for Lapeña.
Currently, a total of 1,143 customs employees were hired and promoted.
Hidden agenda
Earlier, Lapeña said that the media attacks and criticisms against him and some employees of the BOC are “coordinated to undermine his reforms for the bureau.” He added he will not heed calls for him to resign unless President Duterte says otherwise.
“There is no doubt, that these attacks against me and the officers, men and women of the Bureau of Customs are well-funded and coordinated attacks to undermine the reforms I started,” Lapeña said.
In earlier reports, it was pointed out that the Customs chief may have failed to act and exercise his authority on the reported entry of four magnetic lifters in the country believed to be concealing illegal drugs.
According to the PDEA, the two magnetic lifters found in Cavite were believed to be loaded with shabu that is currently flooding the streets.
“The PDEA and almost everyone in the BOC know that I immediately took action, right from the beginning when the lifters where uncovered in MICP,” Lapeña added.