EDITORIAL - Persistent corruption

At 116 years old, one should have the wisdom of age, and serve as a model for exemplary behavior among the younger generations. In the case of the Bureau of Customs, however, each anniversary is taken as an opportunity to raise the problem of corruption that is believed to be deeply entrenched in the BOC.

The bureau celebrated its anniversary yesterday with its former chief detained at the Pasay City jail for refusing to cooperate with the Senate in a probe on the brazen smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of shabu from China through the Port of Manila. As part of the celebrations, President Duterte also witnessed the destruction of smuggled luxury vehicles.

Despite the President’s emphasis on the battle against corruption, businessmen continue to complain about the problem in their dealings with the BOC. Customs personnel have found ways of circumventing and sabotaging every effort to streamline BOC operations and cut opportunities for graft.

“Not all of you are corrupt,” the President told the BOC rank and file yesterday. “Not all of you are without morality.” Even his words, however, indicate a belief that those who are not corrupt or without morality are the exception in the BOC.

Unabated smuggling and BOC corruption are deterrents to investments and pose unfair competition to those who make an effort to abide by the rules. Changes in the BOC leadership have little impact unless structural reforms are implemented and sustained. If procedures are streamlined, there will be no need to pay “facilitation fees” to the BOC extortionists.

Corruption also thrives because persons in power use their influence to abet smuggling. With powerful individuals as their partners in crime, Customs crooks are unstoppable.

Punishing the corrupt is equally important. Considering all the accusations of corruption hurled against BOC personnel and their alleged protectors, how many have been sent to prison for graft? Unless BOC personnel and their protectors are certain that punishment awaits crooks, corruption will persist in the bureau, and any crackdown will be just a joke.