‘Tara’ continues at customs bureau

Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Jessie Dellosa: Just a regular fiesta now. AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The passing out of “tara”—slang for grease money  in exchange for the release of contraband cargo—still continues at The Bureau of Customs but intelligence authorities at the port area claim these corrupt transactions have decreased since the new leadership began stricter monitoring.

“If before it was a grand fiesta, today is is just a regular fiesta,” Custom’s Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Jessie Dellosa said.

The so-called “Friday Club” has become “Happy Tuesdays,” he added, referring to the payoff schedule noted in the past.

Dellosa said that during his first few days at the Customs bureau, he noticed an increase in the number of people in the bureau’s compound on Friday afternoons. “The parking area would be filled,” he added.

He said it was apparently on Friday afternoons when brokers and other fixers would go to the bureau to pay their “taras.”

He said that the “taras” could range from P500 to millions of pesos depending on the number of containers and its contents.