Why has one administration after another been unable to clean the mess in Customs?
Among the most notoriously corrupt agencies of government is the Bureau of Customs (BoC)—this assessment came from no other than former president Rodrigo Duterte, who was unable to clean up the mess there during his term (along with that other huge mess, Edsa traffic).
Considering how important Customs’ role is in nation-building, how come no mention of cleaning it up was made by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his State of the Nation speech last Monday (July 24)?
During Duterte’s term, there were at least two cases of massive smuggling of meth into the country; in 2017 (P6.4 billion worth) and 2018 (P11 billion worth).
Both scandals remain unresolved as of 2021.
In August 2017, then Senator Panfilo Lacson revealed the ‘tara’ payoff system in the BoC. This is a system-wide bribery scheme that benefits certain officers and personnel.
In 2019, Duterte announced the dismissal of 64 BoC personnel in relation to the concealment of some P1 billion worth of shabu that arrived in the country in January that year.
In August 2020, Duterte asked the Department of Justice to “look into anomalies hounding” the BoC. “This is a very troublesome office for all of us historically,” Duterte said.
In November 2020, Duterte revealed the names of BoC officials and personnel dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman for various offenses.
These are just some instances of mentions of the BoC in relation to corruption over the last few years.
Even President Marcos Jr. is aware of the anomalies at the BoC.
In June 2022, outgoing Senate President Tito Sotto said that in a conversation he had with Marcos, the latter said that he was “bothered” and “disgusted” by the “corruption na mga pinag-uusapan sa DA [Department of Agriculture], sa Customs.”
In May 2022, Marcos said he would not focus on corruption that occurred in the past, that happened “not under my watch,” but would pursue those involved in corrupt activities during his term.
In his SONA speech this year, all the President directly said about Customs was that it increased its revenue collection by 7.4 percent from January to July 2023.
Indirect mentions of goods illegally coming into the country, however, were made. Marcos Jr. addressed the smuggling, hoarding, and price manipulation of agricultural products, saying this contributed to high prices.
“Hinahabol at ihahabla natin sila…Bilang na ang mga araw ng mga smugglers at hoarders na ‘yan.”
He also spoke of “unscrupulous law enforcers and others involved in the highly nefarious drug trade” and said: “I will be accepting their resignations… We cannot tolerate corruption or incompetence in government.”
He made no direct statements about curbing corruption in Customs.
But the smugglers and drug traders he mentioned would not prosper in their activities without inside help.
Why has one administration after another been unable to clean the mess in Customs? Are they afraid of taking down the behemoth that the agency has become?
President after president, none has been able to fully clean up the operations there.
Customs corruption costs the government billions of pesos in lost revenue each year. This money could be used to fund essential services, such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
A corrupt Customs also makes it easier for smugglers to bring goods into the country illegally.
This leads to a loss of jobs for legitimate businesses, as well as the introduction of counterfeit and dangerous goods into the country.
Damage to the economy also results from Customs corruption by discouraging foreign investment and trade.
It also leads to higher prices for consumers, as the President noted in his SONA.
Putting an end to corruption in the BoC is a complex challenge, but it is one that the Philippines must face once and for all.
The government should take a number of steps to address the problem, including increasing transparency and accountability within the BoC, strengthening the enforcement of anti-corruption laws, providing better training and incentives for Customs officials, and creating a culture of integrity within the agency.
In February, Marcos Jr. appointed Bienvienido Rubio as Customs Commissioner, who promised, among other things, to push for good governance by implementing sustainable reforms.
He also vowed to use digitalization as a tool to make Customs operations more efficient and transparent.
Let us hope he prospers in his plans.
The fight against endemic corruption in the BoC will not be easy, but it is one that is worth fighting.
If Marcos Jr. can clean up Customs under his watch, it will be one of his biggest legacies.
Let’s see whether he will make any mention of this in the near future – we shouldn’t have to wait until the next SONA.
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