Ex-Customs chief charged; Palace says he is ‘presumed innocent’

FORMER Customs commissioner Isidro Lapeña has been charged for alleged irregularities in the release of 105 containers of ceramic tiles worth P69 million.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said this merely shows that even allies of President Rodrigo Duterte are not spared from the government’s campaign against corruption.

He said, however, that Lapeña still enjoys Duterte’s “trust and confidence” and that he has the constitutional right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“Until and unless proven otherwise, he still enjoys the trust and confidence of the appointing authority who happens to

be the President,” Panelo said.

In a November 7 report filed before the Department of Justice on Monday, November 12, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) lodged criminal and administrative complaints against Lapeña for allegedly violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft Corrupt Practices for allowing the release of containers filled with tiles from China in March.

Panelo said the NBI was merely following Duterte’s order to rid the government of corruption when it recommended the filing of charges against Lapeña.

“Good governance is the hallmark of the Duterte administration and this latest development is a reaffirmation of the President’s commitment against all forms of corruption and illegality,” the Palace official said.

“No one, friends or political foes alike, is spared in our fight against corruption. The National Bureau of Investigation has a mandate to fulfill and its action is proof that the President shall not shield those upon whom a shadow of doubt has been cast,” he added.

Apart from corruption charges, the NBI also recommended administrative charges of gross neglect of duty and grave misconduct against Lapeña.

Some 105 containers, with a declared value of at least P69 million, were purportedly released by Manila South Harbor’s port operator Asian Terminal Inc. on March 17 without proper clearances and documents.

Lapeña currently heads the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), after Duterte moved him out of the Bureau of Customs on October 25 following the discovery of empty magnetic lifters that were believed to have contained methamphetamine hydrochloride (shabu) worth P11 billion. (SunStar Philippines)