Part Two
THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) incurred the public’s ire for the entrance of a shipment containing shabu, or methampetamine hydrochloride, in the country with a value of P6.4 billion. The illegal drugs went through the green lane where goods and cargo underwent minimal inspections.
The illegal drugs entered under the watch of former Customs Commissioner Nicanor E. Faledon. Congress has ordered a probe on Faeldon and the BoC because of this.
Earlier, senators learned that BOC personnel allegedly violated standard operating procedures in the seizure of the P6.4 billion worth of shabu, raising concerns that it could weaken the case against suspects involved in the illegal-drug shipment.
The BoC was said to have opened the 23 crates containing the substances ahead of the arrival of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) operatives. Only the latter were authorized to open the shipment, not the BoC.
During the probe, a BoC official offered to quit his post amid bribery allegations.
Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service Director Neil Anthony Estrella said he decided to submit his courtesy resignation out of delicadeza while insisting innocence over allegations made by Customs Broker Mark Taguba.
Estrella also tendered his resignation during the probe.
Initial probe
THE Department of Justice (DOJ) began early this month its preliminary probe into the string of drug and criminal charges filed against Faeldon and other former BoC officials.
Aside from Faeldon and Estrella, also named as respondents in the PDEA complaint were former BOC director Milo Maestrecampo, intelligence officers Joel Pinawin and Oliver Valiente, Manila International Container Port (MICP) district collector lawyer Vincent Phillip Maronilla and Faeldon’s fiancee, lawyer Jeline Maree Magsuci. BOC employees Alexandra Ventura, Randolph Cabansag, Dennis Maniego, Dennis Cabildo and John Edillo have been summoned to appear during the proceedings and answer the allegations against them.
In its complaint, the PDEA sought the indictment of Faeldon et. al. for alleged conspiracy to import illegal drugs and protecting or coddling of drug traffickers under Republic Act 9165.
Faeldon has sought the dismissal of the criminal charges filed against him and several others before the DOJ. He submitted a 27-page counter-affidavit denying the allegations hurled against him. The counter-affidavit was filed following the decision of the DOJ to deny his motion to dismiss the complaint on grounds of lack of jurisdiction.
Smuggling issue
EVEN before Faeldon, the BoC has been castigated for providing a playground for smugglers.
Faeldon himself has cited that the BoC saw a P50-billion loss in revenue due to smuggling. According to the former customs chief, the smuggling of motor vehicles, oil products and cigarettes were among the top sources of revenue leakage in the country. From the collection goal of the BOC amounting to P467.9 billion for this year, the leakage is equal to at least 11 percent.
Based on data assessed by United States-based think tank Global Financial Integrity and the International Monetary Fund, the BoC was to miss P22.5 billion from oil smuggling alone, P16 billion more from illegal cigarette sales and another P21 billion from
vehicle smuggling.
According to the BOC, the revenue loss from all three big-ticket items translates to some $3.85-billion annual import-revenue loss from smuggling, or 35.4 percent of the current revenue target. This translates to P165.5 billion in revenue losses at an exchange rate of P45 to the greenback.
Oil smuggling is common through pilferage or siphoning-off of oil from tankers to barges on the high seas. According to the report, oil is loaded onto trucks for delivery to depots.
Luxury vehicle smuggling, on the other hand, is carried out through misdeclaration, misclassification and undervaluation.
Cigarette smuggling robs the government of revenues from the nonpayment of duties and taxes, aside from the use of fake tax stamps of the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
Lapeña’s watch
SINCE being recently appointed as the new customs chief, Lapeña has ordered the reshuffling of BoC employees and officials in a bid to shake up the bureau clean.
Eight district collectors and 30 section chiefs of the BOC have been relieved from their posts, following the earlier pronouncement of Lapeña that he will be relieving any officer who will disregard his marching order to stop corruption and benchmarking in their respective ports.
The district collectors who were reportedly axed from their post include the following: Elvira Cruz of the Port of Cebu, Romeo Rosales of the Port of San Fernando, Julius Premediles of the Port of Limay, Jose Naig of the Port of Iloilo, Carmelita Talusan of the Port of Subic, Divina Garrido of the Port of Legazpi, Halleck Valdez of the Port of Zamboanga and Tomas Alcid of the Port of Appari.
The order was contained in a Customs Personnel Order (CPO), indicating relief from their respective offices has been released and dates back to October 4.
Relief, appointments
IN separate CPOs dated September 27, about 30 section chiefs from the formal entry division (FED) of the Port of Manila and Manila MICP were also removed from their posts and reassigned to various provincial collection districts of the bureau.
Following the revamp, the respective FED assistant chiefs of the two ports were designated as acting chiefs. Lapeña has also repeatedly asked BOC personnel to stop the practice of tara and to immediately do away with benchmarking and instead apply the correct valuation of goods.
Meanwhile, some officials from the PDEA, which Lapeña previously led, has joined him in the BOC. They include Melvin Estoque from PDEA Regional Office 7, who is now the chief of the BoC Account Management Office, which is in charge of accrediting importers. Director Jeoffrey Tacio from PDEA Regional Office 1 have been assigned as the officer in charge of the bureau’s Import Assessment Service. And PDEA Regional Office 4-B Director lawyer Jacquelyn L. de Guzman is the new officer in charge of the administration office.
To be concluded
Image credits: Nonie Reyes