Malacañang on Thursday said Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno will not be replaced, following rumors on social media about his termination.
“The circulating claim that Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno will be replaced is not true. The document that has surfaced will be turned over to the NBI, as many have already been taking advantage of or abusing what they claim to be freedom of expression,” Palace press officer, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro, said in a Palace briefing.
Nepomuceno was appointed on 30 June 2025.
“So, this will be reported and forwarded to the NBI so it can determine and investigate where that false information is coming from,” she added.
Intelligence reboot
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Customs’ (BoC) intelligence division has undergone a minor reshuffle.
In a letter dated 12 December 2025, BoC-Intelligence Group Deputy Commissioner Romeo Allan Rosales ordered the temporary assignment of Paul Oliver Pacunayen, Intelligence Officer III of the BoC-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Office (CIIS), to the IG-Office of the Deputy Commissioner.
The order was made “pending investigation by the Bureau of Customs of alleged corrupt acts” involving Pacunayen, who is the subject of a complaint involving alleged smuggling activities in the Port of Manila (POM).
“He (Pacunayen) shall refrain from engaging in any operational activities outside the scope of this temporary assignment unless expressly authorized,” the order said, adding that the officer shall report directly to the IG-Office of the Deputy Commissioner and shall perform duties directed by Rosales.
Similarly, lawyer Allen Dela Cruz, chief of the Intelligence Division, CIIS-IG, is also temporarily assigned as Office Caretaker of the PoM-Field Station of CIIS, the BoC order said.
Dela Cruz is tasked to oversee the day-to-day operations of the POM, CIIS-IG, and ensure continuity of functions.”