The massive purge at both the Bureau of Customs and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) was linked to the disaffection of a religious denomination with the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Nosy Tarsee had learned.

The rift started when key officials of the Bureau of Customs were shuffled one after the other, figures believed to be members of the sect.

A Cabinet member with a trimmed body — let’s call him Sec. Macho-Guwapito — lobbied hard to bring the dismissed Customs officials back.

They say he shuttled back and forth to Malacañang and to the head of the denomination to iron out the kinks between the government and the religious group.

Since they couldn’t be reinstated at Customs, the brotherhood allegedly requested that the purged officials be distributed to the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui refused the pleadings. And that’s when the fire reportedly went out of control — and with that, Lumagui’s head.

An all-out war then unfolded and is now threatening to spread like wildfire.