It may be necessary to abolish Customs Bureau - Biazon

Customs Commissioner Rufino Biazon on Wednesday reiterated his view that to put a stop to smuggling and weed out corruption at the Bureau of Customs it may be necessary to abolish the agency and rebuild it from scratch. Speaking before members of the Makati Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines, and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Biazon said firing officials or employees was not enough given alliances inside and outside the agency. Also, it was difficult to break up the padrino system inside and outside the agency that allows smuggling and undervaluation of shipments. “Commissioners come and go but it seems that Customs has always remained the same. So long as the kalakaran system prevails, corruption will stay,” Biazon said. The Customs Commissioner first floated the idea of abolishing the bureau on June 6, 2012. Meanwhile, Biazon added that there was a need to complete the BOC's modernization and computerization program. “We want to limit human intervention at a minimum to curb opportunities for corruption,” he said. As part of its modernization, the bureau is installing more X-ray machines in major ports as well as in area where there used to be none. The BOC is also installing CCTV cameras in key facilities such as airports and offices. Also, Biazon said that the BOC is in the second phase of the National Single Window project. The effort is an initiative among ASEAN member countries to establish electronic windows that would ease international trade and investment through fast clearance. — DVM, GMA News