Palace welcomes anti-padrino bill

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang yesterday described the “premise” of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s bill seeking to penalize patronage politics in the bureaucracy as “laudable.”

In a press briefing, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said they would support the bill although they would have to see the details first.

“The premise sounds laudable,” Lacierda said.

This week, Santiago will file the “Anti-Political Recommendations Bill,” which was originally filed during the second regular session of the 14th Congress, amid reports that some ranking officials of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) were promoted with the endorsement of powerful politicians.

The senator said the bill was aimed at punishing the acts of making and soliciting political recommendations from any public official or employee.

Violators can be fined up to P30,000, imprisoned for up to one year, or both.

If an administrative probe establishes guilt, a government employee can be suspended or dismissed from the service.

The BOC has been under fire for alleged corruption, but officials say influence peddlers significantly hamper their operations and revenue collections.   

Reform tool  

Customs Commissioner Rufino Biazon also welcomed Santiago’s bill, saying it is in line with his reform agenda to remove political patronage in the BOC.

“I said I wanted that. I am happy that at least one legislator has responded (and) signified support to our reform ideas because we do have reform ideas,” said Biazon.

BOC Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Danilo Lim earlier said that “powerful people” dip their fingers into the agency’s operations. 

He cited as an example that if a shipment has been placed on alert, he would receive a call from someone asking him to spare the seizure of the illegal cargo.

BOC Deputy Commissioner for Internal Administration Group Jose Lorenzo Tañada, for his part, said he had received calls from senators, congressmen and relatives of top officials in government asking him to either accept an applicant to the BOC or promote of one of their personnel. – With Evelyn Macairan