No change. Corruption remains rampant at Bureau of Customs.
This was the collective sentiment of Partido Liberal stalwarts after at least 105 containers vans filled with imported goods slipped through the Port of Manila recently.
“Tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang katiwalian sa Bureau of Customs. Nasaan ang pagbabago? Wala pa ring pananagutan sa isyu ng smuggling,” said Sen. Bam Aquino.
Sen. Aquino expressed disappointed about this recent development as he expected the BoC to tighten its processes after P6.4 billion worth of shabu managed to slip under its watch.
“Hindi na sila nadala na may lumusot ng toneladang shabu sa gitna na War on Drugs ni Pangulong Duterte,” added Sen. Aquino.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan insisted that the bureau should implement a thorough revamp of its personnel to remove the bad eggs that give the agency a bad name.
“Mahirap linisin ang ahensya dahil sa halip na sibakin at kasuhan ay binibigyan pa ng ibang pwesto sa gobyerno,” said Pangilinan.
Former lawmaker Erin Tanada, for his part, said he’s not surprised by the latest incident, saying it was the result of the non-prosecution of Customs officials involved in the P6.4-billion shabu smuggling.
“Wala nang takot na nararamdaman ang mga taga-Customs, lalo pa’t nakalusot ang ilan sa kanila kaugnay ng pagpuslit ng bilyong pisong halaga ng shabu sa bansa,” said Tanada, Partido Liberal vice president on external affairs.