Biazon found ‘sanctuary’ in BOC private bathroom

MANILA, Philippines - Former Customs commissioner Rufino Biazon sought “sanctuary” in a private bathroom in his office during his 27-month stint in the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

In an article in his blog “The Way It Is,” Biazon said, “It was the only place where I could isolate myself from the hustle and bustle of the day-to-day operations and think with clarity to make decisions. It is the place where no one can disturb me as I pray for guidance and peace of mind, and the place where I check myself daily if I had already lost my soul.”

Biazon said the bathroom has a mirror where he would look at himself and ask: “Have you lost your soul?”

“It served as a routine waypoint check for me, to determine if I had gone astray from the path that I set out to take and to bring me down to my rightful level as a public official. It is easy for someone who is exposed and immersed in an environment of authority, influence, fame and material temptations to be drawn away from his original mission and fall from grace,” he said.

“That’s why it is important, particularly for leaders, to constantly check their moral compass and set waypoints that will help maintain focus on the goal.”

Biazon said his “sanctuary” helped him stay in focus after he joined the BOC.

“My sanctuary sheltered me when I was in my weakest, but it also strengthened me as I went back to the outside world, with the time I spent thinking in that place, making assessments and evaluations, seeking wisdom and guidance from the Lord, and clearing my mind for decision making,” he said.

Biazon said he left his negative feelings and emotions when he bade goodbye to the BOC.

“So as a final act before I said goodbye to the bureau, I flushed the toilet, sending to the bowels of the earth all that negativity, hopefully never to haunt any of my successors,” he said.

Biazon resigned from the BOC last Dec. 6 after he was implicated in the pork barrel scam.