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BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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Thursday, August 17, 2017
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MANILA – Due to corruption, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) was losing revenue, Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV claimed.
Replacing corrupt Customs officials and employees will not solve this problem. “New systems” must be imposed, he said.
“Not only are we bringing in drugs, we’re also losing money to smuggled goods,” Aquino said after a Senate inquiry into a P6.4-billion shabu shipment from China that got past Customs scrutiny and seized in a Valenzuela City warehouse only later.
The senator believes that corrupt activities were causing Customs to lose income and that this was being ignored.
Customs fell short of its July collection target by 11.2 percent, getting only P34.8 billion in import duties and other taxes, Aquino said, citing a report.
For 2017, the bureau collected some P246.9 billion as of July – 3.9 percent short of its P257.1-billion target for the period – he said.
“Kahit araw-araw tayong magpalit ng tauhan sa [Customs], wala ring mangyayari kung mananatili ang mga lumang sistema na pinag-uugatan ng katiwalian sa ahensiya,” he added.
While Aquino urged the Duterte administration to carry out “new systems” that will make the bureau more efficient and corruption-free, he did not specify or suggest what kind.
Meanwhile, Sen. Vicente Sotto III said a “major revamp” would remove corruption in the bureau.
“Talagang kailangan,” the majority leader said. “The way things are shaping, there were either neglect or irresponsible moves or actions or corrupt actions.”
“Tingnan natin kung ano kalalabasan noong pinaka-ending nitong hearing na ito and, hopefully, the last hearing would be next week,” he added.
Does he think Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon was also engaged in corrupt practices?
“I’d rather not judge anyone at this point,” Sotto said. “I’d rather wait until the entire committee report is done and all the facts are in before I answer that. I’d rather wait”/PN
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