Kill Customs fixers on sight — Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has called on the military personnel to be assigned at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to kill fixers on sight just to prove how serious he is in the fight against graft and corruption.

“Soldiers will be fielded there to hunt down fixers. I told them, if you see fixers, shoot them and throw them into the sea. Do not admit to the killing. Damn those criminals,” Duterte said.

“The only way for me is to remove you from your positions before I will investigate. When you were still there, you kept stealing while I kept investigating,” the President told fixers.

“I need proof and it is hard to get and in the meantime that I will be investigating, you continue with your practice of corruption,” Duterte said.

Duterte reiterated his directive to kill fixers at the BOC during his speech Thursday night in Boracay.

“You must kill all the fixers because you will be swallowed by the corrupt system there,” the President said.

“(Isidro Lapeña) was good. (Nicanor) Faeldon was good,” Duterte added, referring to the former BOC chiefs.

The President said he would send in military personnel to the BOC under the watch of its newly appointed chief and former Armed Forces chief Rey Leonardo Guerrero. 

Duterte also ordered deputy commissioners and section heads to resign to give Guerrero a free hand in supervising the agency.

Duterte lamented the massive corruption at the BOC as well as the Bureau of Internal Revenue, which has contaminated even upright individuals.

“Let’s be frank – all of you are contaminated with corruption,” he said.

But Duterte said the military personnel who would be assigned to the BOC will not handle the duties of civilian employees. – With Marc Jayson Cayabyab