Embattled BoC Commissioner Lapeña says he will not resign

Bureau of Customs (BoC) Commissioner Isidro Lapeña on Thursday stressed that he will not resign despite admitting that the recovered empty magnetic lifters in August may have contained at least P11 billion worth of shabu.

“The President placed me there to accomplish a job and that is to stop corruption and increase revenue collection. I have been delivering and I still have to do a lot,” Lapeña told reporters in a Palace press briefing.

“On the command responsibility aspect, it applies when a violation of law was brought to your attention and you did not do anything,” he added.

Lapeña also dismissed the appeal of Customs Deputy Collector Ma. Lourdes Mangaoang to President Rodrigo Duterte to take actions against him.

Mangaoang had accused Lapeña of “covering-up” for drug syndicates over the entry of more than a ton of shabu now now worth P11 billion (earlier estimated at P6.8 billion by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) into the country in August.

READ: Mangaoang to Duterte: Take action vs Lapeña over drug smuggling issue

READ: PDEA chief now says magnetic lifters contained P11B ‘shabu’

“I don’t know where she’s coming from, but as I have said, I have done those things that have to be done… which led to the discovery of the drug syndicate,” he said.

Lapeña claimed that he will still carry out the marching orders of the President in heading the BOC.

Lapeña made the assertion a day after he said before a joint House inquiry, that he is now inclined to believe that the magnetic lifters found in a warehouse in Cavite did contain shabu. /muf

READ: Lapeña backpedals, now thinks magnetic lifters contained ‘shabu’