Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) Intelligence Officer III Paul Oliver Pacunayen, chief of the CIIS Field Station at the Port of Manila was ordered relieved after a complaint filed by some Bureau of Customs (BoC) officials and employees, including stakeholders.

BoC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno has acted swiftly on the information saying that the agency 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 the DAILY TRIBUNE.

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

Several names in letter

Pacunayen was among the personalities mentioned in a letter to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. from BoC employees and stakeholders, requesting an immediate and impartial investigation into irregularities happening at the BoC.

Also included in the letter were CIIS Director III Thomas Narcise; Gerry Teves, a barangay chairman of Putatan, Muntinlupa, and captain Jimmy Oliver Vingno of the Philippine Coast Guard.

However, Nepomuceno did not divulge whether Narcise would also 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 addressed 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.