Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña has assured that the Bureau of Customs (BOC) will not become an extension of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the agency he previously headed.
In a statement on October 14, the new customs chief said he wants to “allay the fears of some customs employees, in particular those from the Bureau of Customs Employees Association (BOCEA), who feel that the BOC will reportedly become a ‘PDEA extension.’”
“There is no truth to this and this will not happen,” Lapeña said.
BOCEA on October 13 denounced the hiring of several PDEA officials for different executive posts at BOC, calling for the appointment of customs experts instead of anti-drug operatives.
Lapeña explained that the plan to “fill up the more than 3,000 vacancies in the bureau is to address the bureau employees’ sentiments that they usually perform dual tasks or even more.”
BOC is fast-tracking the promotion and hiring of new personnel to fill around 3,000 vacant plantilla positions as a way to improve service and deter corruption. Two batches of mass promotions of qualified personnel have already been undertaken since Lapeña took office.
“This is also an answer to the lack of personnel in the bureau’s outports. I would like to assure everyone that the hiring process, aside from being open to all interested applicants, will be transparent and in accordance with the Civil Service rules,” he added.
