Palace anti-graft body to probe BOC on drugs

MANILA, Philippines — The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) will conduct its own probe on the entry of P6.8 billion worth of shabu in the country.

PACC commissioner Manuelito Luna said “personalities” would be summoned to shed light on the issue and to determine whether Bureau of Customs (BOC) officials committed lapses or conspired with smugglers to facilitate the entry of contraband. 

“Evil triumphs when good men do nothing, as the famous line goes. The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission is set to conduct a parallel inquiry into the reported collusion of some corrupt customs officials with notorious smugglers which led to the entry of billions worth of illegal drugs into the country as revealed by the PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency),” Luna said in a statement over the weekend. 

“PACC finds the facilitated smuggling of over P4 billion and P6.8 billion worth of illegal drugs very disturbing and will not take this sitting down,” he added. 

The PACC was created through Executive Order No. 43 to assist the President in investigating and hearing administrative cases against presidential appointees with salary grade 26 and higher.

 PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino said he is “not blaming” anyone despite the P6.8-billion shabu that slipped past the BOC last week.

Aquino said that instead of pointing fingers, the BOC should conduct a full-blown investigation and determine the people behind the release of the shipping container with a ton of shabu. 

“I am not blaming them or anyone. I think they are still conducting investigation,” he said in a text message.

He added that corrupt BOC men in cahoots with drug syndicate should be held accountable. 

Meanwhile, Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña lamented the failure of the anti-narcotics agency to share intelligence information with the BOC. 

Lapeña said that if the BOC was given information in advance that the shipment contained drugs, he would have ordered to stop the release of the shipment.

But Aquino said he could not share unverified information with the BOC, adding that PDEA just got raw information with the Philippine National Police (PNP). 

“PDEA and PNP initially received raw data and these should all be processed. All info should be subjected to validation. Once it is complete, then we can share intelligence that is confirmed and reliable. We can’t share information that are considered hearsay,” he explained.

Last week, PDEA agents found several magnetic lifters used as illegal drug containers at a warehouse in General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite. While the lifters were empty,  dogs detected traces of narcotics in them.

Aquino said about P6.8 billion worth of shabu was contained in the lifters. He said it was possible that the shabu placed in the lifters are already being sold in the streets. 

Aquino said the lifters seized in Cavite were similar to the two found at the Manila International Container Terminal last Tuesday that contained an estimated 500 kilograms of shabu.

PDEA is investigating the entry of the multibillion-peso drug contraband. 

Authorities are now hunting down 19 persons of interest linked to the shabu shipment, aside from BOC personnel. 

Last year, the BOC drew flak over the entry of P6.4 billion worth of shabu from China. Some customs officials have been accused of being part of a bribery scheme that paved way to the entry of smuggled items.– With Romina Cabrera