Morales eyes use of smuggled firearms

MANILA, Philippines – Considering the shortage of ammunition of their security personnel, the next time that a shipment of smuggled firearms come in, these would be used by the Bureau of Customs and would not be turned over to the Philippine National Police.

Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales said that he would soon take steps to ensure that future confiscation of illegal firearms would be utilized by their Customs police officers. Under the present procedure, all illegally imported firearms caught by the BoC is turned over to the PNP-Firearms and Explosives Unit (FEU), but Morales said that there was a need to amend the policy since their office is in need of additional firearms. In doing so, the bureau would be able to cut down on their expenses.

“There is already a regulation here. All firearms apprehended would be turned over to the PNP-FEU. But I will make arrangements so that we do not have to spend in purchasing new firearms. We would use the firearms that would be apprehended, we would no longer turn them over to the FEU,” Morales said. If his plan works out well, there would be an agreement between the two government agencies wherein the PNP would permit that firearms be placed in the custody of the BOC-ESS.

But before any memorandum is signed with the PNP, he would first have to discuss the matter with Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Department of Finance Secretary Margarito “Gary” Teves. He would then have to issue a circular instructing all the 17 district collectors of the BoC to conduct an inventory, to know if there has been a recent importation of illegal firearms.

For his part, BOC-Enforcement and Security Service (ESS) deputy director Chief Superintendent Jose Yuchongco said that he is pleased with this development because the Customs police, which is under the ESS, is in need of additional firepower to enable them to perform their functions of securing apprehended cargo and maintaining peace and order in the different ports.

Yuchongco admitted that they require 250 additional Customs police personnel, 200 short firearms, 50 armalite rifles and 45 vehicles. Last March, the bureau sent a letter to the Department of Budget and Management, requesting that they be given P5 million to be allocated to buy some 200 weapons. “There had been instances when a Customs police personnel has grown attached with his assigned firearm, or that it has a sentimental value to him, that by the time he has to retire, he refuses to part with it. He would just declare that he lost the weapon and its cost would just be deducted from his retirement pay. We would have no weapon to pass to his replacement and this is one of the reasons why we are experiencing a shortage in firearms,” Yuchongco said.

He added that the creation of additional ports, such as the expansion of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), meant that they with the limited number of personnel and firearms there were more areas to be guarded.

There are only 500 BOC Customs police spread thinly to the 17 district ports.