SENATORIAL candidate and former Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) chair, Greco Belgica, said he would push for legislation that would “separate” the present tasks of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in order to make the agency more efficient and responsive in the pursuit of its mandate.
“Maybe it is time to consider if the BOC would just focus on either anti-smuggling or revenue generation and not both,” Belgica said during the ‘Meet the Press/Report to the Nation’ media forum of the National Press Club (NPC) last February 11, 2022.
Belgica averred there is conflict when BOC functions as a revenue-generating agency (it is the government’s second biggest tax collector after the Bureau of Internal Revenue) while also being on top of the country’s campaign against smuggling.
“Ang nangyayari kasi, parang pulis, uutusan mong manghuli ng iligal na droga pero uutusan mo ring mangolekta ng pera para may pondo, saan nila kukunin yung pera,” he explained.
As the government’s top anti-corruption official during his stint at the PACC, Belgica has taken a close watch on the BOC, which remains to be seen as among the “most corrupt government agencies.
With the support of Comm. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, the BOC and the PACC signed last March 30, 2021 a “manifesto” against corruption, signifying the BOC’s commitment, under Guerrero, to rid the agency of corrupt practices.
To bolster this commitment, the BOC, in partnership with the PACC, last October 7, 2021, is also the first national government agency to create “anti-corruption committees” covering all its 17 collection districts (see also Pinoy Exposé article of October 11, 2021).
But showing keen awareness on the real goings on at the agency, Belgica said the conflict between the BOC’s revenue generation and anti-smuggling functions is also a cause for temptation for some customs collectors in an effort to shore up their respective targets.
‘Yung ibang collector, kapag nahihirapan makuha ang target, tumatawag mga yan sa mga importer na sa kanyang port na lang magpasok ng kargamento. Yung mga importer naman, papayag pero hihingi ng pabor.”
Belgica added that he has also discussed the matter with Pres. Duterte who “agreed” with his observations.
If elected this coming May 9, Belgica said he would push for the separation of the BOC functions.
“Either the revenue generation function would be entirely taken over by the BIR or either we create another agency focused entirely on anti-smuggling so the BOC can also just focus on tax collection,” he explained.
Belgica also described as “territorial war” the series of violent incidents that have been plaguing the BOC since before Christmas last year that claimed another victim recently (see related story in this issue).
“Nag-aagawan na sila ng teritoryo,” Belgica said, referring to the various powerful vested interests at the waterfront but without giving any specifics.