DAVAO CITY (October 29)- President Rodrigo Duterte has directed the Armed Forces of the Philippines to temporarily take over the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
“With these kinds of dirty games they are playing, I am forced to ask the Armed Forces to take over,” Duterte said. “They will be replaced, all of them, by military men. It will be a takeover of the Armed Forces in the matter of operating, in the meantime, while we are sorting out how to effectively meet the challenges of corruption in this country,” Duterte added.
The President also put all of the employees of the BOC on a floating status and will be required to report directly to the Office of the President.
“The Customs intelligence unit, they are to report to Malacañang, all of them. I’m ordering everybody to report to my office. Maybe I’ll issue the memorandum. They will hold office there at the Malacañang Gymnasium. Lahat,” Duterte said.
“I’d like them out, then one by one, if they still deserve. If none, then, since I cannot fire them, then I have to file a case, and then appeal after appeal, maybe it could last for another 10 years. And so by that time, we have lost so many billions, and you are destroying my country,” he added.- Jiann Padillo/ NewsLine
