Bureau of Customs Cracks Down Hard: 28 Personnel Hit with Criminal and Admin Cases

The Bureau of Customs isn't playing around anymore. Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno confirmed on Wednesday that 28 of the agency's own employees are now facing criminal and administrative charges — ranging from corruption and anti-graft violations to neglect of duty. It's one of the biggest internal crackdowns in recent memory.

Six cases were recently endorsed to the Department of Finance under the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, involving Customs employees and three consignees allegedly linked to large-scale agricultural smuggling. The agency is making it clear — whether you're inside or outside the bureau, walang lusot.

Nine personnel are named in draft complaint-affidavits for violations of the Anti-Smuggling Act of 2016, and the same nine also face charges under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. On top of that, 19 more employees are subjects of administrative cases for neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to government service.

The investigation zeroed in on irregularities at the Port of Subic, where suspected misdeclaration and unlawful facilitation of cargo clearance were uncovered in agricultural shipments. Smuggling through agri products has long been a thorn in the Philippines' side, driving up food prices and undercutting local farmers.

Nepomuceno's message is loud and clear: internal misconduct won't be tolerated. Whether these cases result in actual convictions remains to be seen, but the signal alone — charging your own people publicly — is a bold move that could shake up a bureau long plagued by corruption allegations.

Source: The Manila Times