Emergency powers for Duterte to take over Customs pushed

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BY ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Wednesday, October 4, 2017
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MANILA – A House of Representatives committee on Tuesday recommended granting President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers to head the Bureau of Customs amid allegations of corruption in the agency.

Duterte taking over Customs operations will “ensure public safety and security,” said Rep. Dakila Cua, ways and means committee chairman.

“The granting of emergency powers to President Duterte should be carefully studied, and may include privatization of certain departments or functions” of the bureau, he said.

According to Cua, the alleged corruption in the Customs may be considered a “national emergency,” especially in light of the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of shabu from China.

“National emergency may be considered when the Philippines’ first line of defense has been compromised due to the bureau’s corruption and incompetence in protecting and securing our border from the entry of large-scale contraband,” Cua said.

Moreover, the House ways and means panel recommended the establishment of two new agencies to replace the Customs – the Bureau of Customs Service and the Bureau of Security Control.

The Bureau of Customs Service will primarily assess and collect import duties and taxes, while the Bureau of Security Control will exercise police authority in all ports, take charge of customs border control, port security and communication, and inspect and monitor cargoes, said the committee.

Cua admitted that replacing the Bureau of Customs with two new bureaus “is no easy task.”

“The complexity of the current system and the difficulty of the entire transition process can give rise to unforeseen difficulties,” he said.

“As such, this committee recommends a two-year transition process to establish a fully operational system,” Cua added./PN
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