By Dr Dante A Ang /Manila Times
Customs Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Retired Brig. General Danny Lim has called it quits and will submit his resignation to President Benigno Aquino today, a well-placed source told Manila Times.
The source said Lim has become frustrated after his efforts to go after smugglers was undermined by some people in high places at the bureau. There were instances when the criminals were able to elude arrest after weeks of surveillance because of the collusion between the smugglers and some customs staff, the source added.
The problem, according to the informant, is operational. Before any raid or arrest could be effected, an Alert Order is sent by the Intelligence Unit to the Commissioner for his approval. The space between the sending and the signing of the form is so wide that before the order could be approved by the Commissioner, someone at the bureau tips off the smugglers of the impending interdiction giving them time to clean up the place so that by the time the customs police arrive, the area has already been emptied of the contraband.
Lim said he is up against political heavyweights and that he needs the support of the Commissioner and the president in his fight against the smugglers to be successful. He said that “he can’t fight city hall alone.” The Customs bureau is infested with political appointees or officials backed by politicians, some Cabinet members, and some individuals close to the Palace, the Times informant said. “He tried to resign six times over the three-year period and had asked the president to take him out of customs and assign him elsewhere,” the source said. Lim was however advised “to stay put until such time that a vacancy in another government office presents itself,” the source added, quoting Lim. He said that “for as long as Biazon is at the helm of the Customs Bureau, nothing will ever change.”
The source said Lim was so disgusted over the decision of Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino Ruffy Biazon to remain in his post even after he and the bureau were derided and shamed by the president on Monday in his address for gross incompetence and corrupt practices.