Muntinlupa City Representative and former Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon made a remark, on Thursday October 25, on Bureau of Customs’ need to upgrade its x-ray machines and facilities for inspection, after allegations of Php6.8-billion shabu smuggling incident were probed during the House inquiry.
“The revelations in the joint hearing conducted by the Committee on Dangerous Drugs and Committee on Good Government should now compel the Bureau of Customs to embark on a program to upgrade its capabilities on non-intrusive inspection of cargo using x-ray machines,” Biazon said in a statement, reported GMA News.
According to Biazon, three points were pinpointed by the House panel inquiry so far. First is the standalone system that allows only one to two persons to use the x-ray. Second is the weakness of the data from the x-ray equipment that may be accessed, copied, downloaded, or tampered by anyone. Thirdly, Biazon said the processed image from the x-ray equipment were seemingly difficult to audit, which makes it hard to know if the analysis was made properly or if there was purposive manipulation of the processing to hide any wrong finding.
“In order to put a stop to the importation of contraband, government should plug these loopholes by embarking on an intensive modernization of our Customs cargo clearance system which, over the years, have been used, abused and exploited by the very people that this system is supposed to stop and apprehend,” Biazon added.
Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte fired all Customs executive while moving Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena to Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), amid allegations of shabu shipment.
