Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal suggested that Duterte himself, instead of the military, should lead BOC for at least four months.
“The ultimate test in solving corruption or irregularities in the BOC is for President Duterte to take over as head of the bureau even for a period of four months to fully understand and solve this never ending problem,” Macalintal, who is running for the Senate in next year’s elections, said in a statement.
He said the President’s taking over could be the ultimate test of whether or not irregularities in the customs bureau could be resolved or prevented.
“If despite his presence, the same smuggling activities persisted or progressed, then we can say goodbye to our quest for a clean and honest government in the bureau of customs,” Macalintal added.
Several senators also questioned the legality of Duterte’s decision to put BOC temporarily under military control.
Senator Francis Escudero said that under the Constitution, the President could call out the military only to “prevent or suppress lawless violence, invasion or rebellion.”
“These factors are not attendant at the Bureau of Customs,” Escudero said.
Senator Francis Pangilinan noted that two previous heads of the BOC and the former head of the National Food Authority were former military officers who had failed to clean up their agencies.
“What does the [military] know about collecting taxes and tariffs? The bureaucracy is becoming militarized. What’s next, BIR, immigration?” Pangilinan said.
