MANILA, Philippines – After Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Director General Aaron Aquino blamed Bureau of Customs (BOC) personnel for supposedly letting smugglers escape with one ton of shabu, the bureau fired back.

In a phone interview with Rappler, BOC spokesman Erastus Austria said the PDEA should give them the information they have against customs employees so that the BOC could investigate them immediately.

“We welcome any information of any wrongoing of our personnel. We are the first ones to clean up our ranks if they tell us who our erring personnel are. We recognize this problem,” Austria said.

He added that Aquino’s claim that BOC employees are themselves in collusion with international drug syndicates is “premature,” given that no investigation proves this so far.

“Shouldn’t that be the case? Let’s go after these people. We don’t want them in our ranks,” Austria also said.

BOC officials have long recognized the corruption problem, added Austria, which is why they have put a “reform agenda” in place.

According to the spokesman, the PDEA could go directly to the office of Commissioner Isidro Lapeña to relay the information, as it is considered “maselan” (sensitive) to just be released to the public.

If they see enough evidence, Austria said they would launch administrative probes against employees.

PDEA and BOC officials are set to meet on Tuesday, August 14, as the House of Representatives committee on dangerous drugs launches a probe into the one-ton shabu shipment smuggled into the Philippines. – Rappler.com