Customs chief warns against name-droppers

Newly appointed Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino “Ruffy” Biazon on Friday warned Customs personnel against entertaining name-droppers or individuals or entities claiming relationship with him, his family and friends so their transactions at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) will be facilitated.

In his first memorandum order addressed to “all concerned,” Biazon instructed all Customs personnel to refrain from giving special treatments to shipments or any customs matter being processed or followed up by persons or companies claiming actual or alleged relationship with him.

“I encourage everyone to report to my office any transaction/shipment where my name or that of any member of my family or friends is being name-dropped so that appropriate sanctions could be instituted,” Biazon said.

In his memo, the Customs chief said also stressed his “Nine C’s” management agenda for the BOC: anchoring his leadership on change, closing loopholes, continuity, consultation, computerization, cooperation, clamp down, cheer leader and collection.

To enable the bureau to regain its integrity as the country’s second largest revenue generating agency, change is necessary, Biazon said, adding, “To achieve this recovery, we must embark on initiatives that require not just institutional change but personal change as well.”

To set the premise for this change, he said, the bureau will undertake training programs, and workshops that will catalyze a shift in how BOC employees view their jobs from collecting money for their pockets to collecting revenues for the government and from a sense of personalism to patriotism.