MANILA: Just over a year after assuming the leadership of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), commissioner John Sevilla stepped down, citing helplessness against influence peddlers and admitting his failure to totally eliminate corruption in the bureau.
“Since I started, I did everything I could to make sure that politics would not be a factor in the Customs operations. But it has been more difficult during the last few months. In the coming months this might already be impossible,” Sevilla told reporters after announcing his resignation.
He said that after discussions with other officials, “we all felt that there are political factors that are working in the background.”
Malacañang accepted Sevilla’s resignation and praised him for his anti-corruption initiatives in the BOC. Former commissioner Alberto Lina is set to take over Sevilla’s post after a turnover ceremony today. Lina owns various firms, including logistics company Air21.
Sevilla was officially named BOC chief in December 2013 after a brief stint as officer-in-charge following the resignation of commissioner Rozzano Rufino Biazon, who likewise had to deal with corruption and political meddling issues.
“I made a promise to the BOC employees that there would be no politics, no influence peddlers at the BOC. I made that serious commitment and I will not break that commitment,” he said.
He said that while political interference seemed to be normal occurrence at the BOC, he had never succumbed to pressure.
“This is one of the problems of BOC now, it is the fact that over the years there are many people who are interfering with BOC,” he said. “We should be consistent – it is either we allow it and say goodbye to reforms or do not grant any (of the requests),” he pointed out.
He said the next commissioner would have to be more firm and uncompromising because the “tuwid na daan (straight path) would be in very grave danger here in the coming days at the BOC.”
He said some people were trying to convince him to stay on and do some “damage control” but he told them he is only human and can only do so much.
“Why should the BOC employees and reformers accept the consequences of political compromises? Our job is already difficult, why should that be included in the list of what we have to do?”
While admitting his failure to erase the bureau’s negative reputation, he stressed he was at least able to give it a little glow.
“Because the corruption at the BOC is great, there should be no compromise. There is no room at the BOC for influence-peddlers.”
He also had to deal early on with alleged interference by the Iglesia ni Cristo in BOC affairs, but clarified he has had no direct information linking the group to power play at the bureau.
Sevilla said that upon assuming the top BOC post in December 2013, he immediately received information that BOC-Intellectual Property Rights Division (IPRD) chief Teddy Raval was being pushed to head the Enforcement Security Service (ESS) currently headed by Willie Tolentino.
Sevilla described the ESS as a 400-man police force whose main task is to guard the cargo at the ports. The ESS is under the Enforcement Group (EG) currently headed by deputy commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno.
Raval’s IPRD is one of the units of the Intelligence Group (IG) of deputy commissioner Jessie Dellosa.
“Everyone was telling me that it was INC pushing (for Raval). I have no confirmation on that. The truth is, it is difficult for me to believe that the INC is pushing for people to be given positions in the Bureau of Customs,” Sevilla said.
He added he had never confirmed such report with the INC leadership. “These are all secondhand information. Nobody has approached me about INC, it is just that it is always being dragged into this but I have not spoken to anybody from the INC. I am even doubtful if it is INC,” Sevilla said.
He also clarified that the power to appoint an ESS chief rests with the President and not with the Customs chief.
Sevilla said he is wondering why there is a strong lobby for Raval’s appointment to the ESS post. “In these situations, I am doubtful of their (backers’) motivation.”
Sevilla also revealed being approached by EG head Nepomuceno, who inquired if the commissioner was considering hiring outsiders to occupy sensitive positions in the ESS. Nepomuceno claimed he was making the inquiry on behalf of ESS officials who were worried of getting bypassed by outsiders.
The official was also said to have assured Sevilla that he had no trouble with Tolentino and that he was ready to support whoever is appointed by the President.
Sevilla said he talked to senior officials of the ESS and explained to them that the agency needed “new blood” and that he would not limit the positions to insiders.
However, he promised them a level playing field and that he would not allow politics or influential people to interfere in the hiring and promotions program.
Overall, Sevilla said he remains optimistic that the reforms can still succeed under a new leadership.
“The (new) leader must have the capability to navigate in a political environment while still pushing for reforms. The new commissioner should have the political skills. I do not possess political skills,” he added.
While he does not regret working in the government or for the Filipino people, he said he regretted not being able to finish the projects that he has started, such as reducing the process of import entry to four hours, speeding up the resolution on alerted shipments and improving the accountability of Customs employees. Out of the 30 administrative cases that he had filed, only one had been resolved.
Throughout his term he was also unable to meet collection targets set by the DOF. For this year, the BOC was required to collect P436.5 billion.