Sixty billion pesos lost due to corruption at the Bureau of Customs

Forty to about sixty billion pesos. That's the amount of money government loses due to oil smuggling. And these monies go to seven players in illegal activities at the Bureau of Customs.


President Aquino yesterday gave the true state of the Bureau of Customs in his speech yesterday. Like what Noynoy did to the Chief Justice, it was an "in your face" speech that should put shame before every single Customs employee out there. 


Was Mr. Ruffy Biazon blushing or was he red-faced? For his failure to achieve his revenue targets and for failing to impose drastic measures to curb corruption at the Bureau, the Filipino People is suffering. 


The problem is, that speech is nothing, nada. After that, it will just enter one lobe and goes out from another lobe. That shows you how callous Customs officials and employees are.


Never mind if Deputy Customs Commissioner for Intelligence Danny Lim decides not to accept bribe money from big-time players in the bureau. His friends and associates do anyway. How shame faced these people are remains a question. 


Rumors are, a former Congressman from Luzon profits from the things which the ex-General  tries to curb and fight every single day he is in office. 


So what if, for 5,000 pesos per container, 3,000 pesos goes to the "OCOMM", meaning the Office of the Commissioner. The Commissioner is expected to leave the bureau for politics anyway. This is one of the talks at the Bureau.


Do you know that several members of the Victory charismatic/all-bible religious group are now party to this ongoing corruption at the Bureau? This is according to several sources within the Bureau. 


" The OCOMM is playing the game, and concentrating all activities to his group, including his mother and several key aides of his from Alabang," says a source who refuses to be identified.


Maybe all these are just "rumors" to besmirch the reputation of these two fine gentlemen. I hope.:-)


Fact is, just recently, a shipment of luxury cars and SUV just landed at the Port of Subic. These cars are now being sold at the Port, 40% lower than the retail price here locally. 


You can read the President's acts when he's displeased. 


Imagine, yesterday, it was the Office of the President who ordered the dismissal from the service of Paulino Elevado, the Porsche-riding sonnafagun who mauled two teenagers and even fired his gun.


This is a mere clerk! The OCOMM or the Office of the Customs Commissioner Biazon should have taken the cudgels and fired the guy pronto! But no. 


Hindi ba nakakahiyang sa Opisina pa ng ating Pangulo nagmula ang order na sibakin si Elevado?


This is a sign already that Noynoy has lost his trust with his Commissioners at the Bureau.


President Noynoy, time to enforce the law at the Bureau and time to send in your pointmen and cleanse this bureau of misfits.


Arrest also the seven big-time players. If you still don't know their names, i'll provide a list for you.

Customs Bureau to undergo revamp

Sources told me yesterday that the Bureau of Customs will be revamped in the next few days. Fact is, several of those being tagged as collectors of grease monies will be the very first heads to roll in the agency.


Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Danilo Lim vows to rid his department of scalawags soon. Lim says he will not tolerate abuses committed by his men, nor see his name besmirch by the acts of others using his name for alleged "collection" purposes.


Sources confirmed that Alan Paje, Lim's former campaign manager, is prohibited from going to his office at Customs. He is now out of his inner circle, after allegedly meeting with smugglers in a hotel somewhere in Quezon City several weeks ago.


Paje reportedly got a mouthful from the grizzled former Scout Ranger head. 


There is, however, another personality, more brazen than Paje at the Bureau. His name is Sacra. 


Several businessmen says Sacra is using the name of Commissioner Ruffy Biazon to get some "protection money" from locators, importers and smugglers. Sacra, according to several sources, is now being surveilled intensely by operatives of the palace.


Bureau officials already said that they will not meet collection targets this year, and for what reason? They are still hard-pressed solving graft and corrupt practices inside the bureau.


Likewise, who is this member of the official family who told customs officials to produce 15 million pesos a week for him?


That's 60 million pesos a month! And that's totally unacceptable. This Cabinet member is damaging the reputation and image of the entire administration. He must be stopped and stripped of his powers now!


(By the way, President Aquino himself says that there will be a "Cabinet revamp" very soon.)