A renewed campaign against smugglers

"Your days are numbered." Why does this sound like a tired refrain? President Estrada issued this warning the other day as he launched the Smuggling Watch, an anti-smuggling effort among the Bureau of Customs, the Task Force Aduana, the Department of Justice and the private sector. If the public greeted the warning with derisive laughter, it's because the President has issued that warning so often to all types of crooks it has lost whatever impact it is intended to have.

Joseph Estrada famously issued the warning for the first time to kidnappers in 1992, when he was still the vice president and newly appointed chief of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission. He repeated it at his inaugural and has since repeated it in several major speeches to warn crooks that he meant business. That people are now willing to try even unorthodox, controversial measures to combat crime indicates how Mr. Estrada has fared in his effort to restore peace and order.

There's another reason for the skepticism that greeted the President's latest warning. For the past months, the President has had to fend off accusations that people close to him are the ones involved in large-scale smuggling. From dressed chicken to sugar and "hot" Starex vans, Malacañang has been dragged into the mess. In response, the President has ordered his officials to go after smugglers dropping his name. So far, no one has been apprehended.

Still, there are new faces in the anti-smuggling campaign. And the Task Force Aduana appears to be scoring some points, although its methods have come under fire from some quarters. An enterprise as lucrative as smuggling won't be easy to dismantle, but it can be minimized with enough support from the political leadership. This includes making sure no one claiming connections with those in power will have an edge in the shipment of goods. It means making sure there is a level playing field in all dealings with the Bureau of Customs. This fresh attempt to go after smugglers merits support. Especially if the new anti-smuggling group catches at least one person claiming connections with Malacañang.