Kiko questions customs official’s promotion

Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Thursday said the promotion of a Bureau of Customs (BOC) district collector linked to the P6.4-billion “shabu” (crystal meth) shipment from China last year would cast doubt on the government’s anticorruption crusade.

Pangilinan was referring to former district collector, Vincent Philip Maronilla, who was appointed by President Duterte on Wednesday as assistant customs commissioner.

Maronilla was previously identified by customs fixer Mark Taguba as among those who received bribes to facilitate the entry of smuggled goods.

Senate invitee

Taguba is facing charges for the shipment of shabu that was able to slip past BOC inspection and ended up in a warehouse in Valenzuela City last year.

Maronilla and several other customs officials were invited to a Senate inquiry that looked into the smuggling case last year.

In a statement, Pangilinan said Maronilla’s appointment “puts to doubt anew the Duterte administration’s seriousness in initiating reforms” at the top revenue-generating agency.

Investigate allegations

He said the Department of Justice should have thoroughly investigated the allegations against Maronilla on the shabu smuggling, when the latter was still the district collector at the Manila International Container Port.

“With an official with questionable integrity at the helm of the BOC, the public would find it hard to believe that the administration is out to purge corruption and clean the agency,” Pangilinan said. —CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO