Anarchy prevails in BOC: Duterte

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in his speech during the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Luzon Island Cluster Conference at the SMX Convention Center in Davao City on October 22, 2018, reiterates his stern warning to the public officials to avoid getting involved in any illegal activities. RENE LUMAWAG/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Saturday night said “anarchy” prevails in the Bureau of Customs (BOC) as he defended his decision to designate uniformed personnel in his Cabinet anew.

Duterte earlier appointed former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Rey Leonardo “Jagger” Guerrero to lead the bureau.

Duterte said he deployed military personnel at the BOC to “keep peace.

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“They are there to keep peace because Customs is an anarchy. Maski sino ilagay mo, talagang may corruption (Whoever you designate, there will still be corruption),” Duterte said in a speech in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

Duterte also defended anew his decision to appoint former military chief Roy Cimatu as Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), noting that rehabilitating Boracay would have taken about two years if a non-military personnel was in charge.

“Abot yan ng, estimate ko, two years, tapos mawala yung pera. Ganun talaga katindi ang corruption (Rehabilitation in Boracay will last for, my estimate is, two years and the money will go missing. That’s how bad corruption is),” Duterte said.

Duterte, meanwhile, described Boracay as a “classic case” of overloading that caused sewerage problems.

He also urged visitors in the island to “follow rules” and avoid “looking for trouble.

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Late in October, Malacañang said the “state of lawlessness” in the BOC led the President to deploy military personnel.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said fielding of AFP personnel to temporarily oversee BOC aims to create the military presence that will hopefully “intimidate those corrupt people there”.

Guerrero, for his part, assured that there would be no militarization of the bureau explaining that he wanted to correct the impression that BOC would be taken over by military.