Philippine Customs commissioner Isidro Lapeña has ordered the relief and re-assignment of eight district collectors and 30 section chiefs of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for, among others, using benchmarking in assessing duties and taxes.
Lapeña on October 4 signed Customs Personnel Order (CPO) No. B-76-2017, reassigning the eight district collectors to BOC’s Compliance Monitoring Unit.
These district collectors are Elvira Cruz of the Port of Cebu; Romeo Rosales of Port of San Fernando; Julius Premediles of Port of Limay; Jose Naig of Port of Iloilo; Carmelita Talusan of Port of Subic; Divina Garrido of Port of Legazpi; Halleck Valdez of Port of Zamboanga; and Tomas Alcid of Port of Appari.
Under CPO B-77-2017, Lapeña assigned deputies or next-in-line officials as officers-in-charge for the vacated positions. Wivina Pumatong will be the OIC for the Cebu Port, Jose Guillermo for San Fernando, Zaldy Almorade for Limay, Angel DC Vargas for Iloilo, Ciriaco DG Ugay for Subic, Ireneo Onia, Jr. for Legazpi, Dawisha Schuck for Zamboanga, and Arienito M. Claveria for Aparri.
In a press briefing on October 9, Lapeña said the recent movement was due to the officials’ continued implementation of benchmarking, instead of his directive to collect the correct values of cargoes, as well as for continuously failing to hit their monthly revenue collection targets.
“I personally monitor the ports, including (their) daily collection performance, and it is apparent from the records that benchmarking is still being used in the assessment of duties and taxes. This has to stop immediately,” Lapeña said in a press statement.
Lapeña has repeatedly asked BOC officials and personnel to stop accepting tara (grease money) and to apply correct valuation instead of benchmarking, which he said has resulted in corruption and loss of government revenues.
Other movements
Last month, the new customs chief also re-assigned to the CMU Atty. Vincent Philip Maronilla, previously from the Manila International Container Port, and Atty. Rhea Gregorio, from the Port of Manila.
READ: Rigodon at the BOC; MICP, POM collectors transferred
CMU was created in 2014 to check compliance of various BOC divisions with customs laws, regulations, and issuances. It is assigned to perform tasks to be assigned by the Customs chief, and upon request, shall also assist the commissioner, deputy commissioners, and other Customs officials in drafting, reviewing, and revising Customs regulations and issuances.
The customs chief, in separate CPOs dated September 27, also relieved 30 section chiefs from the Formal Entry Division (FED) offices of the Port of Manila and MICP. These officers were re-assigned to various provincial collection districts of BOC.
Assistant chiefs of the affected FED offices were assigned as acting chiefs of the vacated posts.
Meanwhile, some officials from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), which Lapeña prior to BOC previously headed, have been appointed to several customs posts. The new customs chief had earlier said he will be bringing into BOC his trusted people in PDEA to help implement reforms.
Melvin Estoque from PDEA Regional Office VII is now the chief of the Account Management Office (AMO), replacing Atty. Mary Grace Malabed. AMO, which handles the registration of importers and customs brokers, has been one of the BOC offices which stakeholders have complained about. Lapeña earlier issued a memorandum instructing AMO to fast track the processing of application for registration of importers and customs brokers, which he said previously sometimes took months to complete.
Director Jeoffrey Tacio from PDEA Regional Office I, meanwhile, has been assigned as the officer-in-charge of BOC’s Import Assessment Service (IAS), which was vacated by resigned director Milo Maestrocampo.
PDEA Regional Office IV-B Director Atty. Jacquelyn L. De Guzman is the new officer-in-charge of the Administration Office.
“There will be more reshuffling if the BOC personnel will not cooperate in the reforms we are making. I told everyone there, I will work within the Bureau. I will be one with them. But we must be all moving in one direction, and that is removing corruption at all levels,” Lapeña said. – Text and photo by Roumina Pablo
