New customs intelligence chief told to weed out smuggling fronts

Former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Jessie Dellosa now deputy commissioner for the Customs Enforcement Group. AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon directed newly appointed Deputy Commissioner Jessie Dellosa on Tuesday to cleanse the bureau’s roster of accredited traders and import consignees of dummies or fronts for smugglers.

“Eradicate the dummies and fronts of smugglers from the Bureau of Customs’ list of over 12,000 accredited traders and import consignees,” Biazon said in his directive, issued via his Twitter account.

He also directed Dellosa, a former Armed Forces chief of staff who is now in charge of the bureau’s intelligence and enforcement groups, to “prepare a list of parties of interest to be monitored by the Bureau of Customs,” as well as “conduct surveillance operations and actions against personalities involved in questionable importations of sensitive commodities.”

Last week, Biazon tasked Dellosa to go after individuals and corporations on the bureau’s “order of battle.”

The customs chief had earlier asked the bureau’s intelligence group, previously headed by Danilo Lim, to come up with an order of battle identifying persons or groups involved in smuggling activities.

“It’s a watch list of high-risk importers and brokers. Their activities and transactions with the bureau should be closely monitored for possible violations of Customs laws,” he said.

The Enforcement Group was also directed to “prepare a policy plan covering access to BOC facilities… or who is allowed to go where.”

In another order, Biazon asked Dellosa to strictly enforce his earlier memorandum prohibiting “hao-siao,” or bogus journalists, from interfering in cargo clearance and other official agency operations.

Media men of dubious affiliations have long been suspected of serving as fixers, middlemen or public relations agents for smugglers and unscrupulous customs personnel. They have come to be known as “hao-siao” journalists.

During the Arroyo administration, more than 300 reporters were accredited to cover customs by the bureau’s Public Information and Assistance Division. The number was trimmed down to around 120 when Biazon took over in September 2011.  Last year, he reduced the number further to 96 but it has increased again to a little over 100 now.