The Enforcement and Security Service (ESS) of the Bureau of Customs (BOC)) is now headed by Atty. Teddy Sandy Raval.
Raval, whose name came up when John Phillip Sevilla resigned as customs commissioner, took his oath as director of ESS, a unit under the Enforcement Group (EG), on June 15, replacing Willie Tolentino who was recalled to the Department of Finance.
Raval was previously acting chief of BOC’s Intellectual Property Rights Division, a post vacant as of this writing.
EG deputy commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno, in a text message to PortCalls, said his marching orders to Raval are to “help us pursue the reform agenda of the President and Comm. (Alberto) Lina.”
The ESS director position is appointed by the President and is co-terminus with the current administration.
Raval has been with BOC since 2007. He will now oversee the 400-strong police force of the BOC.
When Sevilla resigned in April, he pointed to political pressure coming from certain groups to appoint officials, including Raval. Sevilla noted though that he only received second-hand statements that religious group Iglesia ni Cristo was pushing for Raval’s appointment as ESS director.
Meanwhile, Nepomuceno said they are still waiting for a directive from Lina on the recruitment of additional EG personnel. He said EG needs to hire at least 700 personnel to “improve our capability to handle our mission.”
EG has 11 operating units or divisions, including the Customs Police, Anti-Drugs Task Force, Environmental Protection Unit, Anti-Carnapping Unit, Shipping Vessels Clearance Division, and Water Patrol Division. – Roumina Pablo
