ONE of the leaders of the opposition in the House of Representatives on Tuesday urged Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino Biazon to institute a bureau-wide revamp and restructuring in the graft-ridden agency saying that this is a first step to rid the bureau of collusion among unscrupulous officials and businessmen.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD Rep. Maria Milagros Magsaysay of Zambales said that connivance and collusion have long been the problem in the bureau and the length of stay of certain officials in specific posts have enabled them to establish their illegal businesses in the bureau.

“There are a lot of under the table deals because these officials and even rank-and-file members of the organization have gotten too used to the system. Once they establish clout, they manipulate the system to earn money from traders who want to reduce taxes or even worse, smugglers who will opt to pay them a paltry sum for the release of their goods rather than pay the government their rightful dues,” said Magsaysay.

“Once he [Biazon] identifies and uproots these personnel from their comfort zone, it would be hard for them to facilitate transactions for their contacts. This is precisely the reason we encourage reshuffles in government from time to time,” she added.

The legislator said it is imperative to stop old practices in the bureau because it is costing the government a lot of money which should have been used to fund vital projects.

“Restructuring is the first step and a statement that there will be big changes in the bureau. Not only will the commissioner be able to disorient unscrupulous officials who have long been sitting pretty in their offices waiting for the money to roll in, but in the process, this will give him a free hand in determining the root of the problems in the bureau so he will have a better idea of what to do to institute reforms in the agency,” Magsaysay said.

She also expressed optimism that Biazon, her former colleague in the House, could cleanse the graft-prone agency “because he is a no-nonsense type of government official.”

“He is competent and he has never been linked to any anomaly or intrigue in his years as a public servant. I believe that he will provide a refreshing change to the bureau which has been tagged as among the most corrupt in the country, and institute reforms to turn things around,” said Magsaysay.

She added that there are a lot of under the table deals and anomalies in the bureau, including the missing 2,000 container vans of goods from the Port of Manila that apparently led to the sacking of Angelito Alvarez, Biazon’s predecessor.

“This is because officials and even the rank-and-file members of the organizations who have been allowing these abuses to happen, have been sitting too long in their posts.”

“As their clout and power grows, so does their operation. That is why it is high time to stop them,” she said.

As for Alvarez, Magsaysay said he should still be held liable if evidence proves his connivance with smugglers in various investigations being undertaken on anomalies that happened in the bureau under his watch.