YEARENDER: Customs chief quits amid pork barrel scam

MANILA, Philippines - It has been an eventful 2013 for the Bureau of Customs (BOC), highlighted by the resignation of its head Rufino Biazon after he was linked to the pork barrel scam.

The road to Biazon’s resignation started on July 22 when President Aquino – in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) – called BOC’s attention to rampant smuggling of firearms, vehicles, and even illegal drugs into the country. He also took the agency to task for failing to meet its collection targets.

Biazon said he waited for the President to step down from the podium before sending the Chief Executive a text message offering to resign. But the President would turn down his offer. The President’s scathing remarks, however, appeared to have set the stage for changes in the BOC.

Apart from Biazon, two Customs deputy commissioners also offered to resign – retired general Danilo Lim, who headed the Intelligence Group (IG), and Juan Lorenzo Tañada, of the Internal Administration Group (IAG).

Lim would later reveal the activities of “powerful forces” interfering with the bureau’s operations. He said these powerful individuals would spread nasty rumors about him whenever their requests were turned down.

Tañada, for his part, said senators, congressmen and even people claiming to be relatives of top government officials would call him up and lobby for the employment or promotion of favored individuals in the BOC.

The two officials did not name any of the “powerful individuals.”

Biazon’s order for 17 district collectors and 37 sub-port collectors to relinquish their posts would go for naught when the Department of Finance (DOF) instructed all Customs officials, including the district collectors, and personnel to return to their mother units.

Biazon had no choice but to comply with the DOF order. The BOC is under the DOF.

On Sept. 28, Malacañang announced the appointment of new deputy commissioners: Jessie Dellosa for the Intelligence Group, Ariel Nepomuceno for the Enforcement Group, Agaton Teodoro for the Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group, Myrna Chua for the Internal Administration Group, Trinidad Rodriguez for the Revenue Collection Monitoring Group, and Primo Aguas for the Management Information Systems and Technology Group.

The BOC was again put on the spot when Biazon, under instructions from the DOF, ordered the transfer of all 27 BOC collectors to the Customs Policy Research Office (CPRO), a newly created office.

Fifteen of the 27 collectors protested their transfer and filed a writ of preliminary injunction with a Manila City court. At first, they were able to secure a temporary restraining order, but were eventually ordered to follow the BOC directive and move to the CPRO.

By November, it was announced that more Customs officials, comprising 10 division heads and lawyers from the Prosecution and Litigation Division  and Investigation Division, would be moving to the CPRO. 

New leadership

Biazon called it quits on Dec. 2 following his being named in a corruption complaint filed by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) with the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the pork barrel scam. The NBI alleged that when Biazon was still congressman of Muntinlupa City, he received a kickback of P1.95 million for a project implemented by non-government organizations linked to businesswoman and alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.

The investigation covered allegations contained in a Commission on Audit report from 2007 to 2009.

Biazon served as BOC chief for two years and three months. He was replaced by John Phillip Sevilla, who was finance undersecretary for corporate affairs group and privatization.

Sevilla, who assumed the post on Dec. 9, had initially thought he would only fill in for Biazon for two months. But Malacañang decided to make him stay at the bureau permanently.

Sevilla described his first week at the bureau as “overwhelming.“

“I did not realize how complex the mandate of the bureau, how complex was the organization,” he said.

He admitted that during his first week in office, he received numerous anonymous text messages about alleged illegal activities of some BOC officials and personnel.

“I am sure that in a matter of time, I would become the subject of these text brigades,” he said.

Sevilla also admitted that the agency’s performance in 2013 was unsatisfactory.

Records showed the BOC had failed to meet its monthly targets. The BOC was tasked to collect P340 billion for 2013.

“On the revenue target, without debate, it would be easy to say we have not met the targets. We have a long way to go before we can say that we are fulfilling the public’s expectations,” he said. “From a public perception point of view, it is still widely believed that there is still rampant smuggling so we have to address that.”