Drug syndicates in cahoots with corrupt BOC staff to vilify Lapeña — Palace

Malacañang on Friday, October 26, backed outgoing Bureau of Customs (BOC) chief Isidro Lapeña who was accused of covering up for drug smugglers over the smuggling of P11-billion worth of shabu (crystal meth) into the country.

“We maintain that drug syndicates, in cahoots with the bureau’s corrupt officials and employees, are behind the ongoing vilification campaign against Mr. Isidro Lapeña,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said.

Despite the “nefarious practices” hounding the BOC, Panelo said Lapeña was able to manage it “untainted and instituted several reform initiatives resulting in a substantial increase in its revenue collection that even surpassed its given targets.”

Panelo’s statement came after President Rodrigo Duterte removed Lapeña from the BOC last Thursday and transferred him to head Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). This move drew mixed reactions from the senators, with some questioning the transfer of the outgoing Customs chief amid the shabu smuggling controversy.

Panelo, however, defended Lapeña’s appointment to TESDA, saying “Presidential appointments, as we all know, fall under the prerogative of the appointing authority, who happens to be the President.”

The spokesman also maintained that Duterte “continues to have the complete trust and confidence on the competence and integrity” of the incoming TESDA Director-General.

In a DWFM radio interview, Panelo earlier said Lapeña’s transfer was planned even before the shabu shipment issue sparked and that his appointment was supposed to happen next week. However, the President announced the decision already to “spare” Lapeña from further criticisms.

Lapeña was in hot waters for allegedly “covering up” drug syndicated when he denied that the four magnetic lifters found in Cavite in August did not contain shabu. He, however, changed his position and admitted that these containers could have contained the illegal drugs as suspected by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Lapeña backtracked from his previous remarks after the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) found out that the magnetic lifters were not designed for lifting heavy materials.