Parcel thieves caught on camera

MANILA, Philippines - A Philippine Postal Corp. (Philpost) worker and a Bureau of Customs (BOC) examiner were caught on video by a surveillance camera opening a parcel and taking items from it last Friday, Postmaster General Josie de la Cruz said yesterday.

Postman 1 Lovilyn de Leon and examiner Omar Said may have “thought the cameras (at the Central Mail Exchange Center or CMEC in Pasay City) were busted,” she said, adding that they were finally able to catch parcel thieves on video after they replaced the personnel manning the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

De la Cruz, who has been with Philpost for seven weeks, said the CCTV cameras were never in need of repair and that it was possible that the camera operators decided to turn a blind eye to the irregularities reported at CMEC.

She said since there were few reports of illegal acts caught on tape, workers at CMEC may have presumed that more than 25 CCTV cameras installed some six years ago were not in working condition.

De la Cruz said De Leon and Said violated the Postal Code of Procedures when they opened a parcel without the presence of the addressee or recipient of the package, and took out something from the parcel without permission.

She said while they have no hard evidence to claim that the item, wrapped in white paper, taken from the package at around 11 a.m. last Sept. 2 contained money, the incident raises the possibility that contraband might be smuggled into the country.

“It can be anything. It can be cocaine. So we have to guard against this because these are possibilities that might happen because of our complacency and not monitoring properly the postal service,” she added. 

Philpost’s acting legal service director Lee Viceral, said they will file qualified theft charges against the two erring workers before the Pasay City prosecutor’s office within the week. “We are just waiting for the addressee (of the opened parcel) to give his or her testimony and declare if any item was missing from the package,” Viceral said. 

The Philpost will also file an administrative case against De Leon for dishonesty. She would then be placed on preventive suspension for 90 days until a decision is made, and she may be dismissed from service, De la Cruz said.

The Philpost may also file an administrative complaint before the BOC against Said. De a Cruz said once a new BOC chief has been appointed to replace outgoing Commissioner Angelito Alvarez, she will immediately set up an appointment.

De la Cruz said Philpost loses P1 million every week due to pilferage of parcels and the alleged illegal imposition of customs taxes. She said nine out of 10 parcels coming through CMEC are reportedly stamped with “subject to customs” and placed on hold, and the Philpost’s 30-square meter warehouse has been filled with the seized items in just two weeks.

The Philpost is also unable to use four of its express mail service (EMS) delivery vans, which have been used to hold more of the items seized by the BOC, she said.