Embattled Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon defended the appointment of athletes in the bureau, among them former Philippine Basketball Association players who receive a salary of P50,000 a month.
In a statement, Faeldon said these players are not BoC employees because they were hired under contract of services.
Thus, their services shall not be considered as part of government service under the bureau, Faeldon said. The contract stated that there is no ‘employer-employee’ relationship between them.
Also, these athletes cannot perform functions that fall within the job description reserved for regular employees.
Faeldon said that apart from sports development activities, the athletes also perform other tasks, such as support services or clerical works at the offices where they are assigned.
The athletes were also contracted because their qualifications matched their role as Technical Assistant for personnel development under the Bureau’s special activities, Faeldon added.
“In their own field of expertise, they are icons. So when they stand up there, wearing the uniform of the bureau, people will listen, even at least… for a while,” Faeldon said in a press conference.
The BoC came under fire at Congress for hiring athletes to the agency in September last year.
Among the players hired by the BoC were retired PBA stars Kenneth Duremdes and Marlou Aquino are still with the office, earning a salary of P50,000 a month.
Aside from Duremdes and Aquino, the BoC also hired volleyball star Alyssa Valdez, all of whom were appointed to the Office of the Commissioner.
Another retired PBA player, EJ Feihl, and a number of volleyball players were also appointed to the Intelligence Group.
“The BOC is known as one of the most corrupt government agencies for more than a century,” the commissioner said. “We must change this perception by convincing the public and encouraging our employees to help reform the agency. We need these players to do that.”
Likewise, the athletes do office works under the supervision of lawyer Roy Lawagan, head of the BOC committee for special activities which organizes various personnel development activities such as fun run, basketball clinic in this bureau.