A joint panel in the House of Representatives on Wednesday cleared former Bureau of Customs Chief Isidro Lapeña liable of any liability in connection with the P6.8 billion in drug shipments that slipped past the Bureau of Customs last year under his watch.
The House committees on dangerous drugs and good government and public accountability, chaired by Reps. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Sur and Xavier Jesus Romualdo of Camiguin unanimously approved its committee report after having conducted deliberations on the issue based on House Resolution 2068 filed by Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo. Maricel V. Cruz
Instead, the joint panel has recommended several reforms in the BoC which include the implementation of a “one strike policy” for erring or unscrupulous Customs officers.
The proposed reforms also include: the issuance of standard operating procedure on the conduct of x-ray for unfamiliar material; modernization of the BOC x-ray machines by supporting the BOC budget proposal of P4.8 billion to procure the said x-ray machines; implementation of a “no x-ray, no entry policy”; BOC x-ray inspectors should undergo proper training, among others.