Customs busts one of ‘Big 3’ for smuggling fuel

One of three leading oil companies in the Philippines have been busted by the Bureau of Customs for smuggling billion-worth of fuel into the country.

“I caught another big smuggler of fuel. I cannot divulge names yet,”

Faeldon revealed while speaking before the American Chamber Philippine’s Infrastructure and Logistics Committee Meeting yesterday.

“It’s billion-worth of fuel. It’s one of the biggest fuel companies in the country,” Faeldon told the gathering.

“If big corporations like Mighty and this fuel company defraud the government or cheat, how much more to the small workers of these importers?” Faeldon said.

Code of silence The Customs chief explained that normally it takes two to tango. But in sweeping the bureau clean of corruption, “It takes three to tango: You have the brokers, importers, and you have the bureau people (to resolve the corruption in the Bureau of Customs),” he said.

It is not only Customs employees who taint the bureau but the traders as well, he added.

“Everybody is trying to lessen their duties to the government,” he lamented.

But while the corruption tag refused to wear off, Faeldon is wondering why no importer and broker reported any act of corruption by employees of the bureau.

“There are 11,000 importers and brokers and you know until today zero has come forward to tell me that your agent-employee named Juan Dela Cruz is asking money from us. So I wonder why?” Faeldon said.

“Now tell me, can you still blame me that Bureau of Customs people are still corrupt if after eight months not a single one of you come forward to tell me that this idiot is doing corrupt practices?” Faeldon asked.

The tough-talking former Marine captain challenged the traders to report to him any corrupt practices they encounter in the bureau and he promised to give a reward to the first importer who will report to him any corrupt practices by a Customs employee.

“So the challenge is for all of us to resolve (corruption in the bureau). I will give a reward… to the importer who will first report to me a Bureau of Customs employee engaged in corrupt practices,” Faeldon said.

“If you want to cleanse the bureau, help me because no one can help me. I cannot just start shooting the customs people every day by mere suspicions that they are doing these. We have to prosecute them and bring them to court and I need you,” Faeldon dared.