Cebu Cebu customs collector suspended over unexplained wealth

Sunstar 2013 jun 03

http://www.sunstar.c...d-wealth-285583

Monday, June 3, 2013


MANILA -- A customs collector in Cebu will be out of work for six
months in connection with forfeiture and administrative cases filed by a
fact-finding team of the Office of the Ombudsman.

Placed under preventive suspension is Maximo dela Peña Reyes,
Collector IV of Port of Cebu, whose unexplained wealth allegedly
amounted to P89,194,806.37, with undeclared or misdeclared assets worth
P44,562,440.67.

Aside from noting a P57.3-million increase in his net worth for the
period of 2000 to 2010, the anti-graft agency said he did not file his
Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) for the years
2001 and 2009.

The Ombudsman's field investigation office conducted a lifestyle
check on Reyes after receiving a report on his frequent plane travels.

FIO then filed criminal and administrative charges against Reyes, and
requested that preliminary investigation, administrative adjudication
and forfeiture proceedings be conducted against him by the agency.

Cebu is one of the top performing revenue districts of the Bureau of
Customs, exceeding its target of P8.6 billion last year after collecting
P8.76 billion.

But the BOC has been rocked by corruption and smuggling for years,
pushing Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon last April to propose for its
abolition and replace it with an institution run by private
professionals.

He said reforming the BOC is not just about chopping off heads of corrupt employees and officials. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)

 

One amongst thousands. But at least it's a start. There are obviously a few Filipinos employed by the government who have scruples and have the guts to nail the corrupt although it's like pissing into the wind. A refreshing change from the normal rhetoric of making excuses for them, turning the other cheek, showing the Nelsons eye, and making the excuse that it's the only way to progress because the salary is so pityful and if you don't go along with it you will be out of a job.

 

Or it could be they want him out because someone in the system wants his
job too. But who knows? But it's good to see it for a change. With all those lambos and ferraris coming out of Maria luisa subdivision in Cebu it makes you wonder if they were declared or smuggled? And if so, did the owners pay there taxes :-).

 

How to stop corruption in the Bureau of Customs | ABS-CBN News

 

It is like an episode of Seinfeld where George and Jerry discuss a new show. A show about nothing. They writer used a lot of words to say corruption could be reduced.

 

I don't think anyone with at least half a brain would make such a comment!



Larry

 

Its ridiculous how we tackle so much about filipino corruption but forgot to ask each other if we have been a part of it? Tell me people, how did you get your license to drive here? Didnt you bribe anyone? How did you learn to drive here when theres no such laws in driving and ive never seen any foreigners attending a seminar. Now tell me, havent you people ever bribed a filipino to get things done?

For people that act so self righteous here but couldnt really do the right thing except getting pissed at a bar and drink and drive without thinking about harming other innocent people just because laws are lenient here. So start asking yourselves if youve never been a part of the country's corruption. Start with your license that god knows how you get it.

 

Starting with my license, I got that by converting my California license to a Filipino license. Cost me about 350p at the LTO. And that's the cost of issuing a new license, not a bribe to get one.

One reason so many people complain about corruption is probably because they have HAD to bribe people to get what they are supposed to get without a bribe. I have not bribed anyone. It took me 6 months to get a building permit. Every monday I went to the municipal hall to ask about my permit. The engineer fingered my envelope each time, saying "Not yet ready sir". I could have got it the same day. But, if you once show you are an easy target for bribes, you will have to continue. After ~6 months he got tired and/or embarrassed, so I got it approved. With 0 pesos bribe. And, that's how I have continued. Things take longer. But, now I hired people to do the waiting for me.

Then there is also another kind of corruption I have been subject too. That is the unavoidable one, that is even worse. Like the customs thing. I got a drum of expensive wire (~60,000p worth). When I got the customs clearance document I had to pay something like 40,000p to get it out of customs. The actual tariff was just a small amount. Handling, storage etc. was the majority. It's difficult to argue then. They have literally taken your goods hostage and demand a ransom for it.

 

My point is, there will be no corruption if no one condones it but if you become a part of bribing people to get something done which i believe that its not only commom for filipinos that have done these even foreigners...even to get out of troubles which makes them a part of the corruption. The only disgusting part is the "finger-pointing" and self righteousness and talk like they never been a apart of any corruption but if your in philippines, thats hard to believe.

to those that bought properties in philippines, dont tell me that when you were doing the titling of your property you paid what the BIR asked you to pay which could be insanely expenssive? And you've been told by your attorney that something can be done under the table? i believe eveyone of us have encountered these sort of experience but the question is, did you give in?i even heard a foreigner friend that took the bribe for his property and said its better off gone to a filipino office worker ( who process the paperworks) rather than going to the government which makes the rich even richer.

 

I am probably as guilty as anyone; however, to get a permanent visa and a non-counterfeit drivers license in Makati I had to do what I had to do. Many foreigners in Metro Manila ran into the same conundrum I experienced.

Try getting a permanent quota visa without the cost getting jacked sky high. Given the annual limited number of issues, you have to "get in an invisible line". As bad as obtaining one of the 50 annual U.S. quota visas, I heard the ones for the Chinese are 5X what I paid, getting into the 7 digits. At least that was the case in late 2009 when my work visa expired. So yes, I am guilty as charged because that is how the corrupt Commissioners established the procedures.
Local drivers license, once again guilty as charged. Has anyone ever been to the Manila airport area LTO to get a license? Funny thing is I first got what turned out to be a counterfeit drivers license directly across the street from the Makati LTO office, got busted with it and had to pay 2000 pesos to a corrupt traffic cop who actually led me across town with his red light flashing to pick up the money at my Forbes Park house. I ended up keeping the fake license for another year until renewal time, then went to the airport area LTO with a 'friend' who fixed a quick entrance-exit process. I took the written exam and they had all the correct multiple choice answers with a check mark to make it easy for me to mark the right one. Not to worry, I drive better than most.
So if any LTO are reading this, my real name is Alfred E. Neuman, I live in San Carlos, and I don't have any money left if you come and try and bribe me, I already made my contributions.
I am not proud of having to pay the piper to get what I needed, but at least I kept my sanity.