EDITORIAL - Seizing the opportunity (The Philippine Star) | Updated July 24, 2013 - 12:00am The fourth State of the Nation Address of President Aquino was memorable for its length – nearly double the usual SONA – and for the harsh words hurled at the Bureau of Customs. After the BOC was compared by the President to the Bureau of Immigration and the National Irrigation Administration, both of which recently lost their chiefs, it seemed certain that Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon was about to lose his job. Seize the opportunity, the President said in his SONA. So there was some dismay when it was learned that Biazon had quickly offered to resign, and the offer was just as quickly turned down by President Aquino. Yesterday, Malacañang explained that the President recognized the difficulties faced by any BOC chief, and that leadership change may not be the answer to the deeply entrenched rot in the bureau. Most people agreed with the points raised by the President against the BOC. Now that he has openly detailed the problems, the nation awaits the planned solutions. This is an agency where even the lowest ranking regular employees tend to flaunt lifestyles beyond their legitimate means. Attempts to plug opportunities for graft, such as computerization, have been stymied, with BOC crooks always keeping a step ahead of the anti-corruption police. Through several administrations, smuggling has been a complaint of local and foreign investors alike. It poses unfair competition and skews market forces. Yet the illegal activity continues to thrive, with the most notorious offenders often enjoying the protection of well-connected individuals and managing to launder smuggling proceeds. If the daang matuwid administration can excise the rot in the Bureau of Customs and make the change permanent, it will be one of President Aquino’s most outstanding achievements. philstar/opinion/2013/07/24/1005761/editorial-seizing-opportunity
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 21:49:12 +0000