More customs execs transferred; new collectors to take office Monday

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon.. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The first batch of new customs collectors will formally assume  office on Monday even as 10 more Bureau of Customs executives were transferred to a newly created “Customs Policy Research Office” of the Department of Finance.

The new customs collectors are Mario Mendoza, port of Manila; Emer Acerton, Ninoy Aquino International Airport; Elmir de la Cruz, Manila International Container Port; Ernesto Benitez Jr., Batangas port; Arnulfo Marcos, Subic Free Port; Esteban Castro, Clark International Airport, and Roberto Almadin, port of Cebu.

They will be joined by other new executives, namely Willie Tolentino for the enforcement group; Alexis Media, legal service; Arnulo Gambaya and Lionel Gramata, assessment and operations coordinating group; and Charo Lagamon, internal administration group.

The new officials came from the Department of Finance’s Office of Revenue Agency Modernization.

Meanwhile, Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said 10 more senior and mid-level officers will also be transferred to the Customs Policy Research Office beginning Monday. He said there was “no resistance” from the new group, unlike the first batch which filed a suit at the Manila regional trial court.

Those transferred were George Aliño from the enforcement security service; Fernandino Tuason, customs intelligence and investigation service; Simplicio Domingo II, legal service; collector Remedios Espinosa of MICP; Jose Brigido Yuchongco and Cesar Albano, customs police division; Richard Rebong, inteligence division; Elenita Abaño and Huberto Vasquez, public information and assistance division; and Ericson Alcovendaz, post entry audit group.

“They have been replaced with officers-in-charge; their replacements will assume office on Monday but they have reported this week to familiarize themselves with their new posts so we don’t see immediate problems in our operations,” Biazon told reporters.

Biazon said the transferees were “doing well” at CPRO reviewing proposed policies such as the customs modernization bill.