Danny Lim vows to rid Customs of corruption

Former Army general Danilo Lim vowed to crush corruption and go after smugglers at the Bureau of Customs as he took his oath as BOC's deputy commissioner for intelligence before President Benigno Aquino III at Malacañang. Lim went to Malacañang with his wife and daughter. Newly-appointed Customs chief Ruzzano Rufino “Ruffy" Biazon, on the other hand, is expected to take his oath Friday. In a press statement, Lim vowed to fight smugglers and their cohorts inside and outside the BOC. “We will not treat you with kid gloves. You will not enjoy undue favor and advantage in this bureau. We will not treat those who willfully rob the Filipino people and their government gently," he said. He added that he will not be seduced with money or favors. To those who get their way through bribery and other inducements, don’t even think about it. The former Gloria Arroyo administration and the corrupt few in the military that I had fought against, failed to seduce me with money or favors – so will you," Lim said. With this, he asked the public to help him and Biazon fight corruption in the BOC. “Nananawagan ako sa lahat ng mamamayang muhing-muhi na sa korapsyon, pagtulungan nating sugpuin ang katiwalian at ituwid ang mga kamalian. Umaasa ako, kasama ni Bureau of Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon na nasa likod namin ang sambayanan sa mahalagang gawaing ito," he said. Lim admitted that President Aquino’s order to fight corruption and smuggling in the Customs is not an easy task as these have been entrenched in the system for so long, adding that the previous administration made it worse. “Tunay na malala ang problema ng korapsyon sa ating bayan. At lalo pa itong naging malubha dahil na rin sa siyam na taon ng tiwaling pamumuno ng nakaraang administrasyon ni Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at ng kanyang asawang si Mike Arroyo," he said. The post given to Lim was vacant until his appointment was announced last Wednesday. Lim is a graduate of the US Military Academy who had been implicated in several military uprisings against the Arroyo administration and even during the time of the late President Corazon Aquino, mother of the incumbent president. — LBG, GMA News