President Duterte is serious in eradicating illegal drugs in the Philippines. We witnessed how he combated illegal drugs during the first year of his term, which significantly decreased the number of illegal drug users in the country. In his second State of the Nation Address, he said the war against illegal drugs would continue because he believes that it is root of evil and suffering.
Both Houses of Congress are currently investigating the P6.4-billion drug smuggling attempt in the Bureau of Customs. On May 26, 2017, the National Bureau of Investigation discovered a 605-kg shabu shipment in a warehouse in Valenzuela City. The shipment passed through BOC’s super green lane (SGL), a channel that did not require inspection; thus, the contraband was not detected. The shipment was consigned to EMT Trading, with its sole proprietor, Eirene Mae Augustino Tatad. As per BoC guidelines, the SGL is for listed companies accredited by the SGL Committee. These are the multinational corporations or the top 1000 corporations in terms of duties and taxes paid. Hence, how was this shipment able to slip the hands of BoC officials despite their strict requirements and operating procedures?
The BoC has been consistently involved in corruption, which puts the agency’s integrity in question. It has partially lost the confidence and respect of many local and multinational businesses and Filipino taxpayers. BOC is the second highest revenue-generating government agency, the source of funds for the implementation of our nation-building programs. But here is another controversy that involves the agency; and worse, it is about illegal drugs. This drug mess, once again, tarnished the integrity of the agency and its officials. It is a disgrace for the agency responsible for the entry of goods in the country that it failed to stop illegal drugs from coming in, in the midst of the President’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs. This is very alarming. It does not only damage the reputation of Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, but it also embarrasses the President for appointing him into that position.
With all of these controversies involving the BoC, some of which remains unresolved, how will the bureau get out of this mess? I call on the Commissioner to face the consequences of his actions and to take full responsibility in fixing this mess and in restoring the integrity of the agency. This is also high time to implement Republic Act No. 9335 or the Lateral Attrition Law. Punish those who are behind their targets and reward those who are efficient. This way, we can improve the performance of tax collectors; thus, improving the collection efficiency of the BIR and the BoC.
Early this week, the Development Budget Coordination Committee kick-started the 2018 national budget briefing and we will soon get busier with the budget deliberations. I hope that we soon find light in the BoC drug scandal. The investigations should terminate soon so that Congress can focus on the 2018 budget, the “budget that reforms and transforms,” for the benefit of the Filipino people.
