Solon urges House to probe Customs intel funds

MANILA, Philippines —  A legislator on Tuesday filed a resolution urging the members of the House of Representatives to look into the Bureau of Customs' (BOC) intelligence funds.

Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo filed House Resolution 2311 seeking an inquiry into the bureau's funds which are meant to detect, identify and apprehend big smugglers and their coddlers.

Romulo claimed that the BOC has plenty of intelligence funds, which it should be spending to pin down smugglers and interdict their contraband.

"We want the (House) ways and means committee to ascertain the manner by which the bureau has been spending its intelligence funds to run after these tax evaders and economic saboteurs," Romulo said.

"If the money is not being used effectively, then we might as well strip the bureau of the funds," he said.

Romulo called for a House inquiry into the BOC funds amid public outcry on the bureau's policy on opening of "balikbayan" boxes or packages sent by Filipino workers abroad for their families in the Philippines.

Romulo said the BOC should run after syndicated smugglers, instead of "nickel-and-diming" the balikbayan boxes of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

President Benigno Aquino III on Monday stopped the BOC from conducting physical inspections of balikbayan boxes.

"The President has instructed the bureau to immediately do the following: First, there will be no random or arbitrary physical inspection of balikbayan boxes. Moving forward, all containers of balikbayan boxes should undergo mandatory X-ray and K-9 examination -- at no cost to the sender or the OFW," the BOC said in a statement.