In his speech at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) turnover ceremony, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. told Biazon that the entire Aquino administration “stands behind him and trusts him to do what is necessary to keep Customs on the right track.”
“I just want to assure Commissioner Biazon that as long as he does his job right and helps the President achieve his vision for this country, he will always have friends in Malacañang—and we are ready to support him with the resources he needs to address the issues that have plagued Customs for the longest time,” Ochoa said.
He expressed hope that the BOC will also support Biazon, “who has shown in his time in Congress that he truly cares for this country and is serious about implementing reforms.”
Ochoa thanked former Commissioner Angelito Alvarez for “having accepted the challenge of heading the BOC in the President’s first year in office—always the most difficult year in any new administration.”
He said when Alvarez accepted the job, “he gave up a more lucrative and comfortable life in the private sector” and his privacy.
“Many would have shied away from these challenges, and most would not have made the sacrifices necessary for the job, but Lito did. For having accepted that challenge, the country and I thank Commissioner Alvarez. Maraming salamat.”
Biazon to weed out ‘illegitimate’ media
BIAZON, meanwhile, vowed to weed out “illegitimate media” personnel operating inside the agency’s main office in Port Area, Manila, as many of these are believed to be acting as brokers for alleged smugglers.
Biazon said during the turnover ceremonies on Monday that he is “aware” that many bogus mediamen, or more popularly called as hao shiao, have embedded themselves at the BOC to help smugglers.
“We will coordinate with the legitimate press to come up with a system of accreditation, guidelines or rules we can implement here,” he said.
Biazon formally took over the BOC’s top post on Monday from Alvarez, who also raised the issue on illegitimate mediamen who also double as brokers to various importers.
The new BOC chief said he wants the expulsion of tabloids and illegitimate mediamen from the bureau “as soon as possible,” especially if these fail to show proofs that they are the ones accredited by a recognized media organization.
Biazon, however, was quick to stress that in the process of weeding out the bad players, he does not wish to infringe on the freedom of the press.
“I will not come up with my own rules. I would be coordinating with known and established media groups to come out with the rules,” he said, adding that the BOC may employ the same accreditation system used by Congress and Malacañang.
Biazon is faced with the huge task of both achieving the target collection set for the agency and curbing smuggling.
He said he would not immediately implement a reshuffle among the agency’s collectors as there are only three remaining months in the year.
“It is not lost on me that there is great pressure for us to meet the targets. The shortfall outlook for the end of 2011 could make one discouraged, but there is no room for negativity. I shall work closely with our district collectors to get a front-line view of our performance on a regular basis, as well as the other units that contribute to our collection,” he said.
As of August, BOC’s total shortfall collection stood at about P24.24 billion after it collected P171.14 billion for the eight-month period as against its target of P195.38 billion.
For the entire year, the BOC is tasked to collect P320 billion. Alvarez previously said the agency may only collect some P295 billion for the year.
