Lacson lectures Customs exec Gambala over denial on ‘tara’

Deputy Customs Commissioner Gerardo Gambala got a lecture from Senator Panfilo Lacson when he denied during the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing Thursday the accusation that he is receiving “tara” or bribes.

Gambala, previously with the now deactivated Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) Command Center was one of the agency’s officials named by Lacson in his privilege speech last August 23.

Gambala said he hopes that he can still “redeem” his name. 

“Senator Lacson, I still respect [you] as my fellow cavalier and upper classman and senator. The thing he’s accusing me, sir, or -- the things he told me, I really cannot do this, sir. But I hope I can redeem my name,” Gambala said.

Lacson then mentioned an exchange of text message last May between a certain Gemma Castillo and Customs fixer Mark Taguba. According to Taguba, the alert order on his shipments was lifted after he paid Castillo, who is supposedly representing the Comcen.

Gambala said he does not know of any Gemma Castillo at the Command Center.

“If you don’t know anything about tara inside Comcen and you are head of the Comcen, what does that make of you?” Lacson said.

“Sasabihin ng Comcen hindi kilala si Gemma? Sino kausap ni Gemma? Si Satanas?...How was the Command Center alert order lifted if there was no payoff?” the senator pointed out.

Gambala said people may just be using the name of his office. “That’s the problem, sir, people usually use names and offices of people and the problem, sir, is that we cannot defend ourselves,” he said.

Gambala said the Comcen has been “deactivated.”

Senator Manny Pacquiao, meanwhile, said there was a certain “Jonathan” or “Johnny” who supposedly collects tara in behalf of Gambala.

“I’ll try to find kung sino mga Jonathan at Johnny na sinasabi niyo,” Gambala said. — RSJ, GMA News