Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 6) – President Rodrigo Duterte publicly named officials and personnel of the Bureau of Customs who were dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman for various offenses such as gross neglect of duty and grave misconduct.
“Now allow me a few minutes to do what I have promised to the people, that every meeting… that I will read the persons who are now, under quasi-judicial scrutiny,” said Duterte in a late-night address on Thursday.
Some of the names he mentioned were dismissed last year including Customs deputy collector Ramon Hernandez, operation officers Lomonto Macabando and Vicente Gamboa, police assistant chief Jaybee Raul Cometa, and security guard Renly Tiñana.
He also mentioned Zamboanga City district collector Lyceo Martinez and Customs police district commander Filomeno Salazar, who were relieved following the disappearance of 23,015 sacks of smuggled rice in Zamboanga City in 2018.
Other Customs personnel he identified were Vicente Torres, Gil Gamil, Agnes Fabian, Allan Pagkalinawan, and Aristotle Tumala.
The Customs bureau is one of the five priority government agencies that is being investigated by the Justice Department-led multi-agency task force against corruption.
Although he acknowledged the rampant corruption inside the bureau, Duterte said on Monday that Customs chief Reynaldo Guerrero is not involved in any anomalies within the agency.
He even noted that Guerrero was able to kick out erring personnel from the bureau.
Amid the call to fight corruption in the government, Duterte urged the task force to carefully review all the complaints.
“If it is given to you for review, review it in one night…Do not delay those paper works,” he said.
