Senator Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday said the officials and personnel of BOC get Php270 million pay-offs through their "3 o’clock Friday habit". Lacson based the said figures on the estimates provided by a customs broker he had talked to.
Lacson told reporters that he did get a reply when he asked Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon about the alleged 3 o’clock Friday gathering during a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, wherein officials and personnels of the BOC receives a part of the payoffs.
"Alam natin ang 3 o’clock habit, Friday. Kaya sa kwenta kasi marami tayong nakakausap na broker sa kwentuhan," Lacson said during a radio interview.
The broker told Lacson that some personnels and officials of the BOC gets Php27,000 to Php30,000 for every container each day.
In an earlier statement, Faeldon said the BOC receives at least 10,000 containers each day. If you multiply Php27,000 per container to 10,000 containers each day, the result will be Php270 million a day.
Multiply it again by 365 days, the amount is equivalent to Php98.55 billion payola that is shared by corrupt Customs officials and personnel.
Below is Sen. Lacson's own computation.
"Ang unang tinatanong ko, nabuwag na ba ang Friday 3 o’clock habit? Pagsagot niya, ngisi lang, walang pag-asa mareporma. Maski sino sinasabing irereporma ang BOC. Hanggang ‘di nawawala ang 3 o’clock habit Friday afternoon, walang reporma. Kasi doon ang partehan," Lacson added.
The BOC seized 605 kilograms of crystal meth worth Php6.4 billion three months ago in Valenzuela City warehouse that was smuggled from China. However, the said contraband, strangely passed BOC successfully without inspection.
Despite all the controversy being thrown to Faeldon, President Rodrigo Duterte still has his trust on the commissioner.
Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez stated Duterte is confident that Faeldon will still be able to do a good job in the Customs.
"The Chief Executive has expressed his full confidence in Commissioner Faeldon and told him to focus on serving the country," Dominguez said in a statement on Tuesday.
Source: News5, INQ
0 comments: