BOC chief denies graft charges

MANILA, Philippines -  Bureau of Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez denied yesterday allegations of graft filed against him before the Office of the Ombudsman, allegedly by BOC employees.

The employees, who chose to remain anonymous, accused Alvarez, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and former Bureau of Internal Revenue commissioner Guillermo Parayno Jr. of tolerating the smuggling of used clothes, favoring an information technology firm, and protecting smugglers.

“The alleged complaint they lodged with the Ombudsman, if indeed true, should be seen as a desperate ploy to derail the program of reform and renewal that we have begun to implement,” he said.

Alvarez said during the last 10 months, the BOC “under my watch has seized 20 containers of used clothing with an estimated retail value of P60 million.”

He also denied charges that they have favored E-Konek, a firm that helps the computerized processing of import and export entries for the BOC, without a contract or a public bidding.

Alvarez said records show E-Konek was accredited by the BOC as a value-added service provider in 2007, long before he and the two other respondents assumed office. He said the contracts of the VASPs are with the trading community, not the BOC.

He said the BOC under his watch has filed 34 smuggling cases against big companies with claims totaling more than P50 billion. – Iris Gonzales, Evelyn Macairan