Bocea’s reaction to PDI editorial

This is a reaction to the Inquirer’s April 27 editorial titled “Custom-made mess,” from the National Executive Council of the Bureau of Customs Employees Association (Bocea), the only union of rank-and-file employees of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) duly registered with the Civil Service Commission and the Department of Labor.

An appointment to a “director level” position requires the signature of the Philippine president. Former commissioner John Phillip Sevilla, in alluding to the Iglesia ni Cristo’s influencing a Customs appointment, in effect, casts aspersions on President Aquino.

We have had other issues with Sevilla, particularly on hiring and promotion. Invoking President Aquino’s “daang matuwid,” Sevilla issued Customs Memorandum Order (CMO No. 15-2014), in effect violating Civil Service rules, the Revised Administrative Code and BOC’s own merit and promotion system.

By virtue of the CMO, Sevilla appointed persons without the experience required by law and arrogantly and unilaterally deprived current employees of promotion by making it appear that they failed in an examination he devised, never mind that they were civil service eligible. Not only that, both “passers” and “flunkers” of his examination were not given any rating. As a result, Customs outsiders got higher positions that require expertise in customs matters.

Sevilla and his cohorts also invalidated the appointments (promotions) of 67 Customs employees, which were  made by his predecessor, Ruffy Biazon, without as much the courtesy of explaining to the appointing authority why he voided them. After all, Biazon clearly had the authority to promote the BOC employees during his tenure as commissioner. And nobody from the Department of Foreign Affairs, and neither Sevilla himself, questioned Biazon’s power to appoint.

(Bocea has filed a case in the Court of Appeals questioning the constitutionality and validity of Sevilla’s acts under this CMO, with a prayer for the issuance of a temporary restraining order and/or writ of injunction.)

Furthermore, Sevilla failed to deliver on his mandate to achieve our targeted  revenue collection. Had he been an efficient and productive commissioner, the BOC should have hit its assigned target. But all Sevilla did was to harass BOC employees by making it harder for them to do their jobs. He hung the “Sword of Damocles” over the head of every employee accused of graft and corruption without observing due process—with the threat of either a case to be filed against them in the Department of Justice or with a transfer to the so-called “freezer.”

Bocea has no personal ill-feelings toward Sevilla. We are just airing the employees’ sentiments against the way he ran Customs. Bocea has never been opposed to change, but we are always for GENUINE CHANGE that would uplift the lives of all Customs employees and make them instruments of national progress.

With new Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina at the helm, we look forward to seeing the image of the bureau and its employees improve as well.

—ROMULO A. PAGULAYAN, president, RUSSEL INGLES, vice president, NUMERIANO S. RIVA III, secretary general, MANUEL C. JACINTO JR., deputy secretary general, CARLOTA C. CABERTO, finance officer,  HELEN GRACE M. BALITE, deputy finance, MARGARETTE Q. CONDE, auditor (retired), ROMMEL M. FRANCISCO, public relations officer, Bocea National Executive Council