MALACAÑANG named five new deputy commissioners of the Bureau of Customs even as Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon urged importers and brokers to join the government’s campaign against graft and corruption which has cost the government billions in lost revenue.
The appointment papers of the new officials were signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and included Natalio Ecarna, a retired major general and undersecretary for operations at the Department of National Defense who was named deputy commissioner for revenue collection.
Ariel Nepomuceno, head of the enforcement group under former Customs commissioners John Sevilla and Alberto Lina, was designated deputy commissioner for enforcement.
Teddy Sandy Raval, Enforcement and Security Service under Lina, was assigned deputy commissioner for intelligence.
Meanwhile, Edgar Macebo was named new district collector at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport while Vicente Philip Maronilla was designated district collector for the Manila International Container Port.
Earlier, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III named a new deputy commissioner for Enforcement, Isabelo Tibayan, to replace Arnel Alcaraz.
Meanwhile, Faeldon appealed to all importers and brokers to join the government’s campaign against graft and corruption.
“We are facing a great challenge: the challenge of eradicating the image of a corrupt Bureau. You know the extent of corruption in the Bureau of Customs,” Faeldon said during a forum with importers in Manila.
Faeldon said transforming BoC’s image will greatly improve the importers’ businesses and the Bureau’s revenue collection.
“Let us help each other. Let us all proclaim to this country that hand-in-hand —11,000 of you and the 3,000 BoC officials —we will join together, will partner and stop corruption. We cannot stop [corruption] alone, you know that. Every centavo that Customs loses in revenue collection, we deny the Filipino people,” he said.
The BoC chief said he plans to transform the bureau into a world-class port facility that will attract foreign investors to do businesses in the country.
“As partners for change, the stakeholders are expected to participate in bringing out these reforms and plans that will eradicate illicit trade and improve trade administration in the country,” he said. “I am appealing to you, let’s work together to fix the Bureau’s image.”