THE Senate blue ribbon committee investigation on Monday primarily focused on the privilege speech of Senator Panfilo Lacson on the alleged corruption at the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
At the committee's 8th hearing, Lacson identified the alert orders at the BOC as the source of corruption and are being used to extort money.
It was Lacson who revealed in his privilege speech the existing "tara system" during the term of former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon.
It was learned at the hearing that alerts in the BOC are quickly lifted and their shipments are hardly ever inspected if the "price" is right.
When asked by Lacson to specifically say the normal seizure and lifting procedure of cargoes at the BOC which at least must be inspected thoroughly, custom broker Mark Taguba II said, "Mabilis lang
po. Open-close lang. Depende sa tara. 'Pag walang tara matagal."
It was also revealed that Faeldon refused to cooperate with the proper channel during his time to dig deeper into the missing 1,494 kilos of shabu that entered the country through the BOC.
"It boils down to the corruption in the BOC," Lacson said.
Senator Franklin Drilon supported the view of Lacson, saying it was alarming that the public remains uninformed in the status of the 1,494 kilos of shabu.
"Thousands have died. We are killing the small time pushers. Since the intensified campaign against illegal drugs, shabu laboratory has been monitored but the shipment of shabu through the BOC is now the
medium to proliferate the illegal drugs," Drilon said.
Reportedly, 890 kilograms of shabu entered the country last December and 604 kilograms last May.
"And yet no case has been filed to anyone by the Department of Justice," Drilon said as he requested the committee to request from the DOJ any update on legal move that should be taken.
Edward Buco, BOC deputy commissioner, said the pre-shipment report at the BOC will help monitor and control the cargoes.
"By virtues of Administrative Order no. 243, which was done during the time of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the pre-shipment inspection is being implemented. I think we just need to amend this," he said.
Drilon said the pre-shipment is very critical if the government is seriously considering reforms in the BOC as he proposed that a law must be passed by Congress to institutionalize pre-shipment inspection report at the port of origin.
"We need to make this into law. A permanent law for the pre-shipment inspection report to avoid anomalous incidents at BOC. But for the meantime, we can request the office of the President to extend this beyond the bulk of cargoes," the senator said.
Drilon said this has been the practice before which should be done to control the contraband.
During the hearing, Senator Richard Gordon and the father of Mark Taguba, Ruben Taguba Sr., had an exchanged of argument when the blue ribbon panel chair saw the elder Taguba whispering some words with Mark.
"Sinasabihan ko lang po ang anak ko na kunsultahin muna ang abogado niya dahil sa press release nuong mga nakaraan, sinasabi niyo na puro kasinungalingan lang ang sinasabi ni Mark dito kaya gusto ko kausapin
muna niya ang abogado bago magsalita," Ruben Taguba clarified.
For which Senator Gordon immediately answered, "Gusto ko linawin sa lahat sa inyo na there is nothing personal between me and Mark Taguba but our committee is after the truth."
Gordon earlier ordered to remove Taguba from protective custody of the Senate but Lacson opposed the move insisting that Taguba must be given the protection of the Senate considering the revelation of corruption that he revealed at the BOC.
Lacson maintained that Gordon's decision was done without consultation with the committee members.
Gordon said he would grant Lacson's request to place Taguba back under the Senate protective custody as he clarified that the retraction of Taguba only shows that he is not a credible witness and his testimonies in the committee is "highly questionable".
During previous hearings, Taguba has repeatedly mentioned the names of Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and lawyer Manases Carpio, presidential son and son-in-law, respectively, as people behind the Davao Group.
But Taguba, in a letter, clarified that he did not tag the vice mayor and his brother-in-law in the shabu shipment and any corruption activities at the BOC.
In the same hearing, Colonel Allan Capuyan admitted that he met with Taguba once through a certain Jojo Bacud who was appointed by Faeldon last January and left the BOC last March 2017.
"Jojo Bacud (who was named also as Teofilo Joseph Bacud Jr.) conducted intelligence gatherings at the airport. I only knew Mark Taguba and Tita Nani thru Jojo," Capuyan also known as the big brother (at the
BOC) told the committee.
Bacud was allegedly the one who introduced Taguba to Tita Nani.
A certain Jack that was named by Taguba was identified by Ruben Taguba Jr. as Jack Baysa, allegedly a classmate of Capuyan.
Milo Maestrecampo, resigned Customs Import Assessment Service director, denied knowing Taguba insisting that he was the target of syndicate at the BOC.
Meanwhile, the Senate blue ribbon committee will come out with a preliminary report finding presidential son and son-in-law in the P6.4-billion shipment of shabu into the country from China.
Gordon said members of the committee could not be convinced that the vice mayor of Davao City and his brother-in-law could be behind the shabu shipment that slipped through the BOC last May, considering that
Taguba himself asked for an apology for dragging their names.
Gordon said those senators who would not agree with the findings of the report could file a counter-committee report as he confirmed that until now the committee report is being circulated for the signature of each member of the blue ribbon.
Gordon also shrugged off the accusation of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV that Paolo is a member of the international syndicate or the so-called "triad" and his supposed bank accounts have no "probative value" in the investigation.
Gordon faulted Trillanes for his failure to present sufficient evidence that will positively link Paolo and Carpio in the alleged illegal entry of shabu.
"It was just a mere information with no probative values which is a problem. And this is usually the reason why he is accusing me of taking sides with the Dutertes" Gordon said. (VoxPop Philippines)