BOC employee caught on camera accepting money – Faeldon

MANILA, Philippines – An employee of the Bureau of Customs is now under investigation after being spotted accepting money in his office, through the BOC’s newly installed closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon told reporters about the incident on Monday, September 5, as the BOC formally launched its CCTV command center at the Port of Manila.

Around 100 cameras have been installed in the BOC’s offices as part of efforts to promote transparency. Live streaming became available to the public this month, for a limited number of users at a time.

The employee seen accepting money is the first to be spotted via the CCTV system conducting what seems to be a suspicious transaction. His name is being withheld pending results of the probe.

“We are still validating, but his face was obviously seen,” Faeldon said. “We have to check what he was getting and what was that for. That should not be supposedly the case in that office.”

The BOC chief explained that clearance payments for shipments are paid through banks, not through the bureau’s employees.

CCTV project expansion

The BOC plans to install more CCTV cameras, for a total of nearly 400. Aside from the Port of Manila, cameras will also be set up at the Manila International Container Port and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

During the soft launch of the live stream last September 1, the BOC said only 10 users at a time are allowed to log into the system, which can be accessed through public IP address 119.92.124.28.

The usernames are guest1 up to guest10, and the password for all usernames is password123.

After logging in, the system will prompt the user to download a browser plugin to view the live stream. – Rappler.com