Subic has 2 customs collectors!

The Subic Freeport district customs office now has two collectors after former military rebel leader Billy Bibit refused to yield his post to a new collector.

Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho said he has designated Felipe Bartolome, a former customs district collector at the Manila International Container Port, to replace Bibit who was transferred to Clark.

Bibit, however, refused to go by filing a petition for a temporary restraining order with the Subic regional trial court.

"Bartolome has been in Subic since last month, but Bibit is still there because we were TROed," Camacho said.

The TRO was issued by Judge Eliodoro Ubiadas, the same judge who issued in 1998, a TRO against the takeover of Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman Felicito Payumo from Richard Gordon, now tourism secretary.

Owners and executives of companies at the SBMA had petitioned Malacañang to replace Bibit for alleged incompetence and questionable transactions.

They scored the "red tape" at the freeport customs office, saying this has unduly hiked their production costs.

Payumo kept his hands off the controversy involving Bibit, saying this matter is best left to the sound judgment of the Department of Finance and Customs Collector Titus Villanueva.

"I can work well with whoever is validly appointed by the finance department as Subic customs collector," Payumo said.

Before attending a meeting at Malacañang yesterday, Camacho told The STAR that the transfer of Bibit to Clark was part of the reshuffle of the 12 district customs collectors all over the country.

He explained that the reshuffle, implemented by Villanueva, was meant to improve the collection efficiency of the bureau, after failing to meet its revenue collection target last year.

Camacho clarified that the transfer of Bibit from Subic to Clark was not a demotion. He pointed out that the Customs district office in Clark has already been upgraded to a full port.

He, however, refused to speculate why Bibit refused to be transferred to Clark.

Bibit was a former military rebel leader from the Rebolusyonaryong Alyansang Makabansa (RAM) who was among those given government posts for RAM’s participation in EDSA 2 that catapulted President Arroyo to Malacañang last Jan. 20.