Customs chief relieves CIIS officer amid smuggling allegations

Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno has moved swiftly on a complaint lodged by several Bureau of Customs (BoC) officials, employees, and stakeholders against officers of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS).

Nepomuceno ordered the relief of Intelligence Officer III Paul Oliver Pacunayen, chief of the CIIS Field Station at the Port of Manila.

“The BoC remains true to its commitment to reforms, specifically those that ensure good governance. We will act and investigate all complaints and hold accountable anybody who is found to have committed infractions of law and the ethical standards of public officers,” Nepomuceno said in a Viber message to DAILY TRIBUNE

“We will formally announce the result of this investigation and implement appropriate penalties after observance of due process,” the Customs chief added.

Pacunayen was among the personalities named in a letter sent to Ferdinand Marcos Jr. by BoC employees and stakeholders, calling for an immediate and impartial investigation into alleged irregularities within the agency.

Also mentioned in the letter were CIIS Director III Thomas Narcise; Gerry Teves, barangay chairman of Putatan, Muntinlupa; and Capt. Jimmy Oliver Vingño of the Philippine Coast Guard.

However, Nepomuceno did not disclose whether Narcise would likewise be relieved from his post.

Reports alleged that Pacunayen “collects unlawful payments connected with the entry of drugs, illicit cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, and general merchandise.”

The letter to the President, dated 11 December, stated that “reports indicate that revenue collections in numerous ports, including Batangas, Subic, Surigao, MICP, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Iloilo, and the Port of Manila, have experienced significant shortfalls during this period. Stakeholders attribute this to the alleged increase in unimpeded smuggling activities.”

“Additionally, enforcement efforts relating to illegal drugs remain undermined. Stakeholders report continued entry of illegal drugs and precursor chemicals, allegedly through technical smuggling and misdeclaration schemes involving multiple container shipments,” the letter read.