Customs employees ready to welcome new chief

According to the Bureau of Customs Employees Association (BOCEA), they are looking forward to work with the new BOC chief. (File Photo By PhotoPhilia, CC BY-SA 3.0)

MANILA — Bureau of Customs (BOC) personnel are ready to welcome incoming Commissioner Rey Leonard Guerrero, who will replace outgoing Commissioner Isidro Lapeña.

According to the Bureau of Customs Employees Association (BOCEA), they are looking forward to work with the new BOC chief.

BOCEA president Remedios Princesa, in an interview on Saturday, expressed hope that Guerrero would not believe accusations that everyone in the bureau is corrupt.

“There are still a lot of good people here at the BOC, there are still a lot of dedicated civil servants working at the bureau. It is just that the public does not see how hardworking we are in our job such as working beyond office hours even if there is no overtime pay,” said Princesa, who heads more or less 3,000 BOCEA members.

She added that she also hopes to meet with the new commissioner for them to present their concerns.

During the 117th anniversary of the Philippine Coast Guard on Thursday, Duterte directed Guerrero, a retired Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief and head of the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), to take over the helm of the BOC.

The change in the bureau’s leadership came in the midst of the issue on the PHP6.8-billion shabu shipment which allegedly slipped into the country through magnetic lifters.