Gov’t militarizing BOC?

MANILA, Philippines - Eight retired military and police generals – at least three of them classmates of Bureau of Customs deputy commissioner Jessie Dellosa – will take over the posts of BOC officials who will be put on floating status starting today.

Former brigadier generals Esteban Castro (who once headed Task Force Malampaya), Alejandro Estomo and former major general Elmir de la Cruz all belong to Philippine Military Academy Matapat Class of 1979, of which Dellosa is also a member.

Dellosa, a retired Armed Forces of the Philippines chief, heads the Customs intelligence and enforcement group.

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima assigned Castro to the Clark International Airport, Estomo replaces career official Fernandino Tuazon of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service while De la Cruz heads the Manila International Container Port.

The five other retired officers are brigadier generals Roberto Almadin, assigned to the port of Cebu; Arnulfo Marcos to the port of Subic; Mario Mendoza to the port of Manila and ex-colonel Ernesto Benitez to the port of Batangas.

Retired police chief superintendent Willie Tolentino was designated to the Customs police, or the Enforcement Security Service under the Enforcement Group of the agency, which is under the Department of Finance (DOF).

Six others – four lawyers, a customs broker and a former ABS-CBN business newscaster – were also appointed to various posts as more than 50 employees, including career ones, went to the so-called freezer – the DOF’s Customs Policy Research Office’ (CPRO).

Lawyers Alexis Medina is with the Revenue Collection Monitoring Group, Ver Angelo Sumabat is with the Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group, Emer Aceron will be detailed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Ilie Lionel Gramata is with port Operations Service of AOCG.

Medina was connected with Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile’s law office, Sumabat with the Quisumbing & Torres offices, Aceron with Chan & Robles law offices while Gramata is reportedly a member of the Manila Boat Club.

Arnulfo Gambayan, an Escolta-based licensed customs broker, will be heading the Import Assessment Service under AOCG while Charo Lagamon, a former business reporter, will head the public information assistance division.

Lagamon – whose maiden name is Charo Logarta – is married to an Army colonel and worked as an executive in the corporate communications group of the Ayala-owned Globe telecoms after leaving the giant network.