Lacson bares BOC corruption
41 Customs men linked to ‘tara’; 44 bribe givers named
Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, chairman of the Senate Public Order and Dangerous Drugs Committee, on Wednesday named 41 Bureau of Customs (BOC) officials who allegedly receive weekly payola from 44 suspected bribe givers based on a set of fees for container vans and given preferential treatment through the socalled “tara” (payola) system.
In a privilege speech, Lacson also identified the five “big players” who allegedly facilitated the exit of 390 to 490 container vans weekly at the Port of Manila and at the Manila International Container Port (MICP). These
include David Tan, “Kimberly,” Gamboa, Teves groups, Manny Santos, and the Davao Group where whistleblower Mark Taguba reportedly belongs to.
Lacson also revealed “loud whispers” at the BOC tell of Nicanor Faeldon, former Customs commissioner, being given a “pasalubong” (welcome gift) of 1100 million when he assumed the top Customs post in July last year.
“Holy mackerel! Welcome pa lang, may kita na. Corruption is like a snowball. Once it’s set a-rolling, it must increase,” Lacson said in a privilege speech in yesterday’s plenary session three days after President Duterte accepted Faeldon’s resignation.
Lacson said a quarter of the 1100 million or 125 million went to Joel Teves, Faeldon’s alleged middleman, as finder’s fee.
“If in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) under a previous administration, you end your stint with the infamous ‘Goodbye Pabaon,’ at the Bureau of Customs naman, you start your stint with a ‘Welcome Pasalubong’,” he added.
Faeldon, in a press statement, denied Lacson’s allegations.
“I have not asked anybody to collect ‘tara’ for me nor have I accepted any ‘tara’ from anybody. Again, I have not done any form of corruption in my many years of government service nor tolerated those who tried even in the form of request. No is no. The country will appreciate if a third party investigation by a competent body will be conducted so that justice will be served. Just like the honorable Senator Lacson and the Filipino people, I want the truth to come out,” Faeldon said
“For the past weeks, I have been expressing my disbelief with President Duterte’s unusual calm and gentle reaction to the alleged involvement of his people in Customs, to the massive volume of drugs that easily made its way to our controlled borders,” he said.
“Nevertheless, after weeks of public outcry here, there and everywhere for the removal of Faeldon, President Duterte has finally acted and replaced him as customs chief, Even for an ‘hon- est man,’ it is better late than never,” he added.
Apart from Faeldon, Lacson also named other top Customs officials and collectors, including his comrades from the military, on the regular take.
The “tara” system shows a systemic corruption at the Customs bureau with almost every office and official receiving their share which can give the USbased Mafia a stiff competition, Lacson pointed out.
Lacson said it is impossible to win the battle against illegal drugs given the fact that the Customs bureau consciously or otherwise allows the convenient smuggling of tons of “shabu” into the country.
“The problems that our country is facing now, such as smuggling, fraud, and drug trafficking can effectively be lessened if we only fortify our first line of defense on border management. Thus, it is incumbent upon us to address the BOC issue head on and at its roots,” he stressed.
Lacson, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, said he can personally vouch for the integrity of Faeldon’s successor, Isidro Lapeña, who currently heads the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
He said he knows him as an honorable man.
Lacson said he is hoping that Lapeña would not be eaten whole by the corrupt system prevailing at the Customs bureau.
“His highest calling at the moment is to descend to the gates of hell and destroy the brazen corruption within the country’s most corrupt government agency. General Lapeña needs to institutionalize genuine reforms and by genuine reforms that would mean the abolition of the corruption system from top officials down to the last rank-andfile in Customs,” he added.