EDITORIAL – Next, the big fish

Five pieces of real estate worth millions of pesos, a 2005 model SUV and a car. You need special talent to accumulate those properties on a monthly salary of P8,000. The Bureau of Customs must have a large pool of talented workers. Officials of the Department of Finance say Raul Enriquez built up his assets while working as a security guard at the NAIA Customs house in Pasay City from 1987 to 2004. Enriquez now faces charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for unexplained wealth.

This is just an airport Customs guard. Now you can see why the bureau is consistently rated in surveys as one of the most corrupt government agencies. Only recently, several ranking Customs officials were relieved of their posts in the Port of Manila in connection with the operations of Sammy Lee, described by Customs authorities as a notorious smuggler.

Now you can also see why legitimate businessmen continue to complain about unfair competition from rampant smuggling. If everyone is on the take, from Customs examiners to security guards, how can smuggling be stopped? Already legitimate local manufacturers especially of apparel are being killed by a flood of dirt-cheap imports that are sold in flea markets and malls. The most well-known of these outlets, the 168 mall in Manila, has been raided several times by Customs and law enforcement authorities, but the stores keep reopening. And why not, since the products continue to come in to meet the big demand.

The products keep coming in because those tasked to man the country’s ports of entry look away as long as the price is right. Everything can clear Customs in this country without paying the proper duties: apparel, dressed chicken, sardines, vegetables, plastic resin. Even contraband such as shabu hidden in brassieres and Chinese vases can be brought in. Outside Metro Manila, smugglers bring in motorcycles and slightly used sport utility vehicles.

The smuggling cannot happen without the connivance of Customs personnel. The finance department should continue its lifestyle checks but should not stop at small fry like Enriquez. If a security guard can amass that kind of wealth, think of the possibilities for the big fish.