Customs intelligence chief Dellosa to stay at post

Former Armed Forces chief and incumbent Customs intelligence chief Jessie Dellosa vowed to stay in his post despite the resignation of John Sevilla reportedly due to political pressure in the Bureau of Customs.

In a press statement Tuesday, Dellosa said he considered following Sevilla in resigning from the bureau but later decided that he would only leave if the President relieved him.

“I respect the decision of former Commissioner Sevilla to resign. It was an honor and a learning experience to serve with him, and I wish him well as he moves on. I will stay because there is still much work that needs to be done, and the initial successes must be nurtured and sustained. The reform mission is primordial,” he said.

Sevilla earlier said some officials were being pushed to occupy juicy posts in the bureau such as Customs Intellectual Property head Teddy Taval who is being pushed to be appointed as head of the BOC Enforcement and Security Service.

The resigned BOC chief, however, denied his resignation was due to pressure from Malacañang.

Dellosa said he decided to stay for the sake of his men who are facing cases for doing their jobs.

“We have witnesses who risked their lives and livelihoods to support our cause. I will not leave them behind. I will not abandon them so that those in the frontlines and the transacting public will know that the Bureau backs its people and its partners when they do right. The welfare of our personnel is an equal priority,” he said.

He further said the stakeholders who supported the reforms need to be assured that their own sacrifices and cooperation will be reciprocated with better public service.

Dellosa said, at a time when the BOC is hiring and promoting new personnel who underwent a selection process that is insulated from politics and patronage, people should see that the agency is capable of implementing a level playing field where merit, competence and potential take precedence over kinship, connections, and promise of payback.

“I will stay despite the innuendo that I am holding on because of 'tara'. We have absorbed and survived all kinds of attacks and threats since joining the BOC. Ano pa ba ang bagong issue? Bugbog na kami sa tsismis na yan. Ang hindi sila sanay is when we choose to fight back because we have the moral ascendency to stand up,” he said. -Amita Legaspi/NB, GMA News