By Argyll Cyrus Geducos
President Duterte announced that he will move Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) chief Rey Guerrero to the Bureau of Customs (BOC), replacing Isidro Lapeña as the commissioner, following the recent development in the shabu shipment which slipped past the country's ports last August.
Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Isidro Lapeña and Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) chief Rey Guerrero (MANILA BULLETIN)
Duterte made the announcement as he led the 117th anniversary of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Port Area, Manila Thursday afternoon.
In his speech, Duterte announced that he will be moving Lapeña to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), a day after the latter said he now believes that the four magnetic lifters found in GMA, Cavite indeed contained illegal drugs.
"Now for the… General Lapeña will move to TESDA, I will promote you to a Cabinet member position. That’s a… General Jagger Guerrero, you are to move to the BOC," he said.
According to Duterte, he knows Lapeña will have a tough time handling TESDA but said he believes in the latter's abilities.
"Sid, 'yung trabaho ng (the work in) TESDA is quite something of a, it could be messy at times, but I’m sure your training as a military man just like Jagger would auger well for the country," he said.
Guerrero to Customs
Duterte said he is also aware that Guerrero, the former chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), is also reluctant to move from MARINA to the BOC. However, he said the country needs his service more in the BOC.
"I know that you are reluctant, I know that you are happy there, and you are content there, so I’ve heard. But the demands of public service and the need for honest men requires your presence there . Good luck," he said.
According to Duterte, he will look for someone from the Philippine Navy to take over MARINA.
"I will look for your (Guerrero) replacement, sino ba'ng mag retire dito na Navy na hindi binangga yung barko niya nun (Is there someone from the Navy who will retire and didn't rammed a boat)? But if there is one, then I’m sorry, if you mishandled even a little bit of the ships. I will look for the MARINA also coming from the Navy," he said.
Duterte said that Lapeña, Guerrero, and the soon-to-be named MARINA head will be taking their oath next week. He ordered his new top aide Police Senior Inspector Sofia Deliu to draw up their appointment papers so they can assume their office immediately.
"Pagawa mo na 'yung appointments nila (Have their appointment papers made) so that we can have the ceremony tomorrow. At least there's the continuity of..." he said.
"You better go there tomorrow sa opisina ko (to my office) so we can have the ceremonies right away," he added.
Customs execs out
Expressing his exasperation over the recent developments of the P11-billion shabu shipment, Duterte ordered that all Customs officials will be on floating status and that all offices in the BOC will be "frozen".
"Just to give Jagger also a chance, I am ordering the freezing of all, all, section, department, units of the Bureau of Customs out," he said. "They are on floating status. The outer periphery will be taken care of by the Coast Guard."
"Out lahat (Everyone out). To the last man, out. The commissioners are out, the department heads, out. The entire..." he added.
Duterte also told Guerrero that he can utilize military men who are not doing anything and teach them how to operate the X-ray machines.
"Maybe you can have, you can utilize military men, the excess diyan 'yung mga walang trabaho, lalo na 'yung mga babae (the excess there, those with nothing to do, especially the women)," he said.
"You can suspend two or three days for them to learn. Hindi naman mahirap 'yang pag-X-ray-X-ray na 'yan (Operating those X-ray machines is not difficult)," he added.
The President also gave Guerrero the permission to open shipment suspected of containing contraband, even if the release of the shipment gets delayed for a long time.
"If you think that there is really something... a way which they can do it, baklasin mo lahat (open them all). Do not mind if there's a delay of one year in the cargo," he said.
"Sabi ko (I said) if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. So you will have to. I leave it up to you, trabaho mo 'yan eh (that's your job)," he added.
Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Isidro Lapeña and Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) chief Rey Guerrero (MANILA BULLETIN)
Duterte made the announcement as he led the 117th anniversary of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in Port Area, Manila Thursday afternoon.
In his speech, Duterte announced that he will be moving Lapeña to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), a day after the latter said he now believes that the four magnetic lifters found in GMA, Cavite indeed contained illegal drugs.
"Now for the… General Lapeña will move to TESDA, I will promote you to a Cabinet member position. That’s a… General Jagger Guerrero, you are to move to the BOC," he said.
According to Duterte, he knows Lapeña will have a tough time handling TESDA but said he believes in the latter's abilities.
"Sid, 'yung trabaho ng (the work in) TESDA is quite something of a, it could be messy at times, but I’m sure your training as a military man just like Jagger would auger well for the country," he said.
Guerrero to Customs
Duterte said he is also aware that Guerrero, the former chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), is also reluctant to move from MARINA to the BOC. However, he said the country needs his service more in the BOC.
"I know that you are reluctant, I know that you are happy there, and you are content there, so I’ve heard. But the demands of public service and the need for honest men requires your presence there . Good luck," he said.
According to Duterte, he will look for someone from the Philippine Navy to take over MARINA.
"I will look for your (Guerrero) replacement, sino ba'ng mag retire dito na Navy na hindi binangga yung barko niya nun (Is there someone from the Navy who will retire and didn't rammed a boat)? But if there is one, then I’m sorry, if you mishandled even a little bit of the ships. I will look for the MARINA also coming from the Navy," he said.
Duterte said that Lapeña, Guerrero, and the soon-to-be named MARINA head will be taking their oath next week. He ordered his new top aide Police Senior Inspector Sofia Deliu to draw up their appointment papers so they can assume their office immediately.
"Pagawa mo na 'yung appointments nila (Have their appointment papers made) so that we can have the ceremony tomorrow. At least there's the continuity of..." he said.
"You better go there tomorrow sa opisina ko (to my office) so we can have the ceremonies right away," he added.
Customs execs out
Expressing his exasperation over the recent developments of the P11-billion shabu shipment, Duterte ordered that all Customs officials will be on floating status and that all offices in the BOC will be "frozen".
"Just to give Jagger also a chance, I am ordering the freezing of all, all, section, department, units of the Bureau of Customs out," he said. "They are on floating status. The outer periphery will be taken care of by the Coast Guard."
"Out lahat (Everyone out). To the last man, out. The commissioners are out, the department heads, out. The entire..." he added.
Duterte also told Guerrero that he can utilize military men who are not doing anything and teach them how to operate the X-ray machines.
"Maybe you can have, you can utilize military men, the excess diyan 'yung mga walang trabaho, lalo na 'yung mga babae (the excess there, those with nothing to do, especially the women)," he said.
"You can suspend two or three days for them to learn. Hindi naman mahirap 'yang pag-X-ray-X-ray na 'yan (Operating those X-ray machines is not difficult)," he added.
The President also gave Guerrero the permission to open shipment suspected of containing contraband, even if the release of the shipment gets delayed for a long time.
"If you think that there is really something... a way which they can do it, baklasin mo lahat (open them all). Do not mind if there's a delay of one year in the cargo," he said.
"Sabi ko (I said) if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. So you will have to. I leave it up to you, trabaho mo 'yan eh (that's your job)," he added.