Customs chief leaves fate to Aquino

Embattled Bureau of Customs (BOC) chief Angelito Alvarez said on Monday he will let President Benigno Aquino III decide whether or not he stays in his current post. “I serve at the pleasure of the President. If the President says that I should be removed, I will immediately tender my resignation," he said during a congressional probe on the supposed entry of smuggled vehicles from the United States through Mindanao ports. Alvarez made the statement in response to Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay’s question on whether he deserves to be removed from the position following various reports on the entry of various suspected smuggled goods in the Philippines. The Customs commissioner likewise said that he does not like to “second guess" the President at this point because Aquino earlier stated that he is “under evaluation." “It was made very clear by Malacanang that it is not only my actions that are being evaluated. All of the Cabinet members and presidential appointees’ performances are being evaluated," he said. Alvarez has been under fire during the past weeks due to various issues involving his agency, including the seizing of various smuggled goods from China at the 168 Mall in Manila, and the “hot cars" scandal in Bukidnon. The official has earlier made it clear that the entry of the smuggled vehicles in Mindanao occurred before he took over the Customs post. Magsaysay, a member of the House opposition, still criticized Alvarez for giving district collectors the power to assess how much they will charge shipments in their respective ports. “Ang nangyayari po ngayon sa Customs para ho tayo ngayong palengke. Wala ho kayong uniform benchmarking on the assessment on taxes and duties on some items," she said. Alvarez however said that he has placed sufficient “control measures" to make sure that district collectors do not abuse their assessment powers, such as the submission of monthly reports to the central office. “Their [district collectors] performances are consistently being measured. If they do not meet their targets, then they have to be replaced," he said. - VVP, GMA News