Duterte orders Philippine military to take over BOC operations

In response to the corruption and drug smuggling allegations at the Bureau of Customs, President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Sunday evening that the Philippine military would take over the operations of the BOC.

Speaking at a thanksgiving celebration in Davao City, Duterte also said that the BOC's employees would also be placed on "floating" status.

"They will be replaced all of them by military men. It will be a takeover of the Armed Forces in the matter of operating, in the meantime, while we are sorting out how to effectively meet the challenges of corruption in this country," said the president.

Duterte added that officials of the BOC's intelligence unit were to report to his office his Malacañang, and they were to work from the Palace's gymnasium.

Philippines Coast Guardsmen were meanwhile to take over from the Custom's Police force.

Duterte explained that he was forced to take drastic action given the "dirty games" being played at the BOC, in which corrupt officials hide behind procedural requirements to keep from being rooted out.

"You must be an idiot not to understand. You say that you are honest, that you are not part of the cabal there... If that is your line, I cannot move, and you stay there. And I have to speculate if you are really a gangster working for the Bureau of Customs. I do not have the time for that," the president explained.

Also, much like his "declaration of lawless violence "after a bomb killed 14 victims in Davao City in 2016, the "lawlessness" at the BOC had likewise prompted him to take sweeping action.

Last Thursday, Isidro Lapeña was removed as Customs Commissioner after a BOC official accused the then BOC chief of taking no action despite being told that billions in illegal drugs were being smuggled into the country using magnetic lifters.

Lapeña's predecessor, Nicanor Faeldon, also resigned following the controversial smuggling of P6.4-billion worth of shabu in May last year. — DVM/KG, GMA News