AFTER initiating various reforms at the Bureau of Customs, the leadership of Commissioner Ruffy Biazon has achieved a feat by posting the largest amount of seized contraband past agency administrations had miserably accomplished.
Just like in 2012, confiscation of smuggled goods worth billions of pesos has been considered a major success of the bureau under the helm of the good commissioner with emphasis on the sustained anti-smuggling campaign.
Well as the records would speak, the Biazon-led BoC has indubitably performed much better than the administrations of former Commissioners Angelito Alvarez and Napoleon Morales particularly in the drive against smuggling.
To recall, the bureau had revoked the accreditation or Interim Customs Accreditation and Registration (ICARE) of the 39 companies and cooperatives, bringing to 170, engaged in the importation of rice because of their failure to comply with the government’s requirements to engage in such trade.
Stirred by Biazon’s no-nonsense campaign, his men have seized over P600-million worth of smuggled rice from India, Vietnam and Taiwan in various ports from June 2012 until March this year.
In May 2012 to February this year, Biazon’s agents intercepted agricultural products including onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, vegetables worth P99.5 million while on November last year, they seized smuggled sugar worth P7-million.
To sum it up, the BoC personnel confiscated a total of P800-million worth of smuggled agricultural products last year, same records revealed.
There’s really no stopping in the drive even against illegal drugs under Biazon’s leadership. From 2010 until February 2013, the agency seized P500 million worth of drugs from 15 foreign drug couriers following their arrest on separate occasions at the terminal of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The confiscated smuggled products that amounted to multi-billion pesos included designers’ bags, belts, shoes, slippers, auto spare parts, used cars, 793 pieces of mobile phones, expensive television units, electronic products, spices and food mix products from China, frozen products, including Peking duck, plywood, endangered species and gun spare parts.
PNoy must be lucky he’s with him like Comm. Biazon who spares no one to curb smuggling in the country. Bravo!
Tiangco Brothers’ Partnership
The partnership of Tiangco brothers – Navotas Mayor John Rey and Rep. Toby –continues to benefit the coastal city.
Just recently, Rep. Toby turned over two new ‘Angat Navotas’ police patrol cars to the mayor and city police chief Senior Supt. Conrado Gongon.
This is in addition to the nine vehicles he funded during his last year as city chief executive and the three others he funded through his 2010 2nd tranche out of his Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel.
With 90 percent of his bills in Congress aimed for the city and its residents, Toby says he has been committed to support and promote the peace and order program of his younger brother whom he highly admired for his new brand of leadership. May your tribe multiply!
