OVER 700 Customs employees were transferred in 2021 following an anti-corruption campaign, the Bureau of Customs said.
The bureau said on Tuesday that it issued over a thousand show-cause orders last year to its staff, who were made to explain why they should not be charged with alleged violations.
The bureau’s investigation service conducted over a hundred personnel investigations, while the bureau sent over a dozen cases to the National Bureau of Investigation and the Office of the Ombudsman.
As a result, the bureau dismissed three employees and suspended 17 over the course of the year. Another 19 were relieved from their posts but remain in active service.
While six were reprimanded, 721 were transferred to other offices and ports.
The bureau said the employees were sanctioned due to “irregular and unlawful activities,” including corruption and violations of customs rules.
The bureau said in a statement that it has been rolling out anti-corruption initiatives, creating committees guided by the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission.
“The initiatives include the signing of the manifesto against corruption by all officials and personnel of the bureau on March 30, 2021,” the bureau said.
The Senate has been conducting an inquiry into the smuggling of farm produce, with Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III alleging corrupt practices by Customs personnel. — Jenina P. Ibañez
