ROXAS CITY, Capiz, Philippines – There is no new Customs chief for now, President Aquino said yesterday, dismissing speculations of a changeover at the bureau.
Aquino denied that he had appointed businesswoman Elizabeth Lee as Customs commissioner.
“I haven’t appointed anybody. He (Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez) is there, right now,” the President said in an ambush interview after distributing social services to beneficiaries here and in Kalibo, Aklan.
Lee had announced her resignation as president of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and chief operating officer of her family’s Universal Motors Corp., triggering rumors that Malacañang had tapped her to replace Alvarez.
“Like a good play that deserves an encore, a new chapter will open up for me in a different setting, maybe with a different set of players, and probably with even greater challenges,” Lee earlier said in a prepared statement.
The President said Alvarez’s performance was “under evaluation” following the bureau’s difficulties in curbing smuggling and reaching collection targets.
Aquino also said he would act on the appointment of officials recommended by Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II to be part of the department.