Customs Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Danilo Lim. FILEPHOTO
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—President Aquino has finally accepted the offer to quit made three weeks ago by Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Danilo Lim after the Bureau of Customs (BOC) came under stinging rebuke from the Chief Executive in the State of the Nation Address (Sona).
“I talked to him, got his side. He will be given a new assignment outside of the Bureau of Customs,” Aquino told reporters after delivering the keynote address at the 22nd Mindanao Business Conference here on Thursday morning.
The President, however, said Commissioner Juan Lorenzo Tañada, deputy commissioner for the bureau’s internal administration group, would be retained in his post as the government pursues a total revamp to reform the graft-ridden agency.
“After we finish with the plans, you will see a radical transformation in the Bureau of Customs,” Aquino said.
When contacted, Tañada on Thursday said he had “not received word” from Malacañang about keeping his post in the BOC.
In a text message, he told the Inquirer: “Please allow me to confer first with the boss (Commissioner Ruffy Biazon) before making an official comment.”
On July 23, Tañada tendered his resignation in a text message to Biazon.
On Thursday, Biazon, also in this city, said Lim’s resignation would hamper the momentum of reform at the agency.
“It would affect the momentum in the bureau, most especially since Lim knows the processes inside and he is the person who is very knowledgeable about the solutions that must be done,” Biazon said.
He said the agency would have to make adjustments to fill the gap left by Lim’s resignation.
“I wish him well,” he said.
Biazon, who also attended the opening of the Mindanao Business Conference, said he wanted to raise the confidence of the Davao business community in the customs bureau through quality service.
“If we have higher confidence, we will have a higher volume of business,” he said.
“Davao is doing good in collections but enforcement must be improved,” he added.
In the afternoon, Biazon oversaw the opening of a container van that held six Honda Fit cars that had been declared as used truck parts from Japan.
Following President Aquino’s characterization of the BOC as populated by thick-skinned corrupt personnel in his Sona on July 22, Biazon and Lim immediately turned in letters of resignation to Malacañang.
Aquino promptly denied Biazon’s resignation, however, asking him to stay on and reform the bureau.
On Thursday, Biazon had a message for his critics.
“Just let me do my job,” he said, brushing aside the latest attempt to “smear” him with allegations he was not qualified to head the bureau.
In a phone interview, the former Muntinlupa City representative said: “I will continue to ignore these smear campaigns and just continue doing my job.”
Biazon earlier told the Inquirer via text that he had “not pinpointed who’s behind the latest smear campaign,” but he had “several suspects.”
“Different groups are acting. There are those who would rock the boat to undermine my authority and influence. Some are rocking the boat hoping to be appeased. And for those interested in my post, they could take advantage of the crisis,” he said.
In a recent blog, Biazon, a member of the administration Liberal Party, said: “Some questioned my lack of background in customs as a handicap. Indeed it is true that I lack a background in customs.”
Biazon has a medical technology degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
“But that lack of background also translated to me not having any baggage to carry into the bureau. I was never part of any scheme or syndicate in customs. I had no ties to any personalities in the bureau or among the stakeholders and players, and I had no vested interest or hidden agenda to pursue,” he said.
He said that while he “may have been a newcomer to customs, I was not a stranger to government, having been in public service for almost 20 years before my appointment [in September 2011] … And being a politician, I have been through battles that would test the steadfast and break the weak, coming out of those challenges battle-scarred but better prepared.”
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Originally posted at 1:44 p.m.