HOW TO STOP CORRUPTION AT THE BOC?
By: Ver M. Garcia & Teddy Cho
Former Customs Commissioner is the only Filipino Customs head to chair the ASEAN and APEC meetings on customs procedures. His advocacy to rid customs of graft and corruption has been proven effective during his term as customs deputy and as commissioner. He rose from the ranks serving the Bureau for 41 years and the only non-political appointee. He is a CPA-lawyer and a licensed customs broker. He is no other than Lawyer Titus B. Villanueva.
The top to
the bottom corruption in the Bureau of Customs (BOC) involving some employees
of the BOC, hugged the headlines recently and particularly the payola’s and the
welcome gifts given to the government officials whether it can be substantiated
or not. The fact is still staring at us, we cannot afford to be silent on the
issue. We must expressed our views and opinions to provide an alternative
solutions. Though the issue of technical smuggling was sidetrack by the
enormous amount of corruption. The threat of technical smuggling being done at
the top level from the country of origin to our country reveals a very
important Octopus connection of organized crime and has not been properly
addressed and identified due to the indifference of some employees of the Bureau
involved in corruption and technical smuggling, The eight point reform program
formulated during the administration of Atty. Titus Villanueva will allow the
government to focus on terrorism and transnational crime issues that is
perennially prevailing globally and locally. The most recent cyber attacks on
the biggest shipping company last June and the recent BOC shabu shipment worth
P6.4 billion that went pass through the authorities reveals an upgraded version
of technical smuggling.
Lawyer Titus
Villanueva a former Customs Commissions who formulated the Eight Point reform
agenda whose integrity and character is beyond reproached. Who authored the
RANK and a second edition of the book which will be introduce to the public
soon. He formulated the 8 point reform agenda will reduce the corruption to the
barest minimum.
INTEGRATED
SOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, AN ANALYSIS WHY THE EIGHT REFORM PROGRAMS NEEDS
TO BE IMPLEMENTED AND UPGRADED.
Recent events and controversies confirmed that technical smuggling, graft and
corruptions inside and outside of BOC is still happening at the BOC in this
controversial institution. Apparently, its wise to be proactive before
technical smuggling occurs to determine corruption requires skills, wisdom and
experience and a reliable database.
The logic
and wisdom of the Eight Point reform programs clearly reared its head in the
recent fiasco. The eight point reform programs are as follows:
1. Simplification
of documents
2. Determination
of time of processing of customs documents.
3 Limitation
of the number of days of processing customs documents.
4 Reduction
of the number of signatures required in the processing of customs documents.
5 Conduct
of moral regeneration seminar for customs employees.
6 Use
of the selectivity system by identification of the legitimate and less
legitimate importers.
7 Hiring
of pre-shipment inspectors (PSI) or adoption of Import Supervision System
(ISS).
8. Computerization of customs operation.
8. Computerization of customs operation.
ANALYSIS OF THE
IMPORTANCE OF THE EIGHT REFORM PROGRAMS
From reform
program no. 1 up to no. 5 focuses on the documents (legitimate), processing and
human intervention. It involves knowing where the cargoes, the country of
origin, the shipper, the importers, the content of the packing list, and the
description of the merchandise are needed for government use for risk assessment.
In reform no. 5 not only moral regeneration seminars for customs employees and
importers but continuous professional development of personnel should be
provided to qualified personnel.
The use of
reform no. 6 “Selectivity System by Identification of legitimate and less
legitimate importers and the hiring of pre-shipment inspectors (PSI) – reform
no. 7 were removed and bypassed by the organized crime group prove that its
effective in hindering technical smuggling. Effective implementation of the Eight
Reform Programs plus the application of ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE and appropriate
technologies (x-ray machines, cctv cameras and etc.) available at hand which
includes the upgraded version of computerization and the use of drones,
strategically placed CCTV.
Principles of transparency and
accountability involves being truthful and honest in words and actions to
oneself, to your nation and to God, but not in a proper order, it should be
that employees should first be truthful and honest to God (in terms of principles
and teachings); to one’s fellowmen (whether you’re a Nationalist or globalist);
to oneself (which involves your family and friends) Graft and corruption starts
whenever these two occurs!
1. Institutional/structural reforms are
changed and when institutional/structural policies and procedures are violated
and culprits escape with impunity.
2. Employees consignees, importers who
compromise their principles and beliefs in lieu of favors and monetary benefits
from organized crime syndicates.
A former commissioner of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and now a lawmaker has proposed an accreditation system of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) meant to stop unscrupulous use of fake or a third party consignees.
There is a need for truthfulness in
filling out of forms and in the database inputted digitally. Computer hacking
is an upgraded version of technical smuggling. No wonder three months have
passed although there was crimes committed yet criminals are not to be found.
Fortunately fraudulent testimonies of those involved in graft and corruption.
Artificial intelligence and technology facilitated the early detection of fraud
and corruption, but human intervention (human factor) always provides an
important role as game changer. Artificial intelligence (AI) ensures access to
high quality fresh data, enabled by a solid real-time data management backbone,
which can aggregate, filter, recognize and analyze real-time batch data both
structured and unstructured and from both first and third party data sources.
The task of the government thru the
BOC, legislative and BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue), DOF (Department of
Finance), PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and NBI (National Bureau of
Investigation) is to create another institutional/structural policies reforms
which can be compared to a precise surgical team in taking out the cancerous
cell (Graft and corruption) out of the patients (society and government
bureaucracy. Through decentralization, cooperation, coordination by careful monitoring of policies, reforms implemented. There must be several checks and
balance which have always been sacrificed at the expense of convenience and
deadlines.
In conclusion we believe that the
Eight Point reform agenda should be applied in order to curve or eliminate
graft and corruption at the BOC. We urgently request immediate and precise
action and intervention of the executive, legislative and local government
units to consider these wise words of John C. Maxwell.
To lead others to do right is
wonderful.
To do right and then lead them is
more wonderful.
-
John
C. Maxwell
Timing is everything, The right
set-up will keep an organization from having a wrong setback.
-
John
C. Maxwell
Integrity is built by defeating the
temptation to be dishonest. (VerGarciaBlogs)
