‘Military to eliminate anarchy at Customs’

President Duterte is seeking to stop anarchy in the Bureau of Customs (BOC) by mobilizing the military to restore order in the agency.

He maintained that his decision was not a form of militarization as alleged by some lawmakers, saying no soldier would be appointed or designated to any post in the BOC.

"I dismantled the Customs. Tsaka hindi naman militarization 'yan [And that's not militarization]," he said during a visit to Palawan on Saturday.

"When you call the military to help, you are not appointing them to any position, neither are you designating them with specific functions. Ano bang alam ng sundalo ng ledger pati journal? [What do they know about ledgers and journals] They are there to keep peace because Customs is an anarchy," he added.

Duterte hit back at some senators criticizing the involvement of the military in Customs, saying they were merely trying to earn brownie points.

Duterte asked new Customs chief Rey Guerrero to tap soldiers with technical expertise to help him.

Faced with criticisms on placing the BOC under military control, Duterte later clarified that he was invoking national security in calling out the military since "there was no law and order in the Customs."

"Until I am satisfied that law and order is established in that area, the presence of the Armed Forces of the Philippines will be there,” he said. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)