Of corruption and abusive cops

“NAGBIGAY na nga ako, bakit inalert pa rin ang kargamiyento ko (I already gave money, but why did they still place my shipment under alert)?” said “Tina,” a customs broker.

Tina’s shipment was placed on alert status by a customs collector notorious for extortion.

Tina (not her real name) is also notorious for allegedly misdeclaring most of her shipments to avoid paying high duties to the Bureau of Customs.

The buzz within the bureau says she gave the highest amount of “welcome gift”—P50 million—to an incoming customs official.

The other gift-givers were “David” and “Jerry” who gave away P20 million and P30 million, respectively.

Tina’s complaint prompted Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon to issue a memorandum order depriving all customs officials—from deputy commissioners down to collectors—of the power to hold and seize shipments.

Placing a shipment on alert status means withholding its release until it’s inspected, which takes a long time.

Placing a shipment on alert is a big source of corruption at the customs bureau as consignees, through their brokers, pay big amounts so their shipments, often misdeclared, would avoid inspections or unnecessary delays.

Under Faeldon’s order, only he and his subordinates at the Office of the Commissioner could order an alert on a shipment and seize it.

On the surface, it means less corruption at the customs bureau as only Faeldon and no one else can place a shipment on alert status.

But then not one of the customs officials adversely affected by the memorandum order was the recipient of the P100-million gift given by three bigtime brokers (read smugglers).

* * *

It seems President Digong’s search committee doesn’t make thorough background checks on candidates for appointive posts in the administration.

Take the case of a retired police official who was appointed to a key post.

The recently appointed official was notorious when he was still in the Philippine National Police, according to unimpeachable sources.

He was a known drug user and was kicked out of a unit for using vehicles recovered in anticar-theft operations, said my sources.

He vigorously supported former Vice President Jojo Binay, one of the presidential candidates Mr. Duterte defeated, said the same sources.

In 1997, this official, then a police superintendent, led a team that seized 500 kilos of “shabu,” the street name for meth.

Of the seized narcotics, only 220 kilos were declared by the apprehending unit.

The 280 kilos, which were unaccounted for, allegedly ended up in the streets of Negros provinces.

The PNP leadership learned about the “recycling” of the 280 kilos but no cases were filed against the official concerned because he is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).

The scandal is a well-kept secret among “cavaliers” (PMA graduates) within the PNP at the time, said my sources who are also cavaliers.

* * *

Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, PNP chief, should not only focus on drug lords and pushers but also check the misdeeds of policemen.

PO1 Jerry Ricablanca of the Taguig police apprehended businessman Alenito Padios and his cousin, Jay-Ar, recently for “riding in tandem.”

The Padioses were riding a big motorcycle.

Ricablanca, allegedly reeking of liquor, brought the cousins to the Block 2 precinct, saying they committed a “heinous crime.”

The cousins went with Ricablanca to the precinct because they wanted to show other policemen his drunken behavior.

But alas and alack! The cops at the precinct did not lift a finger when Ricablanca challenged Alenito to a gun duel.

One of them even told Alenito to just keep still and let Ricablanca become sober.

My gad, I thought that with Digong as president abusive cops would be gone!