Military takeover of Customs only ‘temporary’ – AFP

Rambo Talabong

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Military takeover of Customs only ‘temporary’ – AFP
'These are extraordinary times that would require extraordinary measures,' says AFP spokesman Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo

MANILA, Philippines – The takeover by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) of the civilian agency Bureau of Customs (BOC) will be “temporary.”

This was announced by AFP spokesman Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo on Monday, October 29, after they were ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte to fill in the positions in the BOC.

“These are extraordinary times that would require extraordinary measures,” Arevalo said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo.

Duterte called for the military takeover amid the biggest drug smuggling controversy to hit his administration – up to P11 billion worth of shabu (methamphetamine) slipping through Customs. The suspects? Law enforcers themselves.

How long is temporary? According to Arevalo, their stay would depend on new Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero, who used to head the AFP.

“When you say temporary, that is supposed to be during the period that the services of the Armed Forces are needed,” Arevalo added.

The military has not stepped in yet, Arevalo said, as they are still in the process of determining the tasks they would have to do in the agency.

On Monday, Presidential Spokesman and Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said one week would be enough for the military to learn how to run the customs bureau. – Rappler.com

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Rambo Talabong

Rambo Talabong covers the House of Representatives and local governments for Rappler. Prior to this, he covered security and crime. He was named Jaime V. Ongpin Fellow in 2019 for his reporting on President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. In 2021, he was selected as a journalism fellow by the Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics.