desperate | QualityChange.Org

A press release intended for distribution at the National Press Club today discussed problems at the Department of Finance’s Bureau of Customs – taunted to be one of the most corrupt agencies not only in the Philippines but in the world.

The customs bureau office of the chief district Acting Collector of Surigao occupied by Ms. Lilibeth Mangsal, is currently vacant according to a press statement that was emailed to this site and was supposed to be distributed at the NPC on Press Night tonight but failed to arrive on time:

PRESS RELEASE

Customs bureau Surigao chief post vacant

The customs bureau office of the chief district Acting Collector of Surigao occupied by Ms. Lilibeth Mangsal, is currently vacant. According to the report of Mr. Ramon Tulfo dated May 23, 2015, the collector allegedly committed serious graft and corruption by delaying the release of a ship, LCT Bulk Carrier M/V Century Summit 3, and its cargo since August 13, 2014.

Collector Mangsal refused to release the shipment because of a personal reason: the shipper dumped Mangsal’s nephew as the broker for the shipment.

As per report of Marlon Ramos, Philippine Daily Inquirer dated May 29, 2015, a mining company Century Summit Carrier Inc. filed criminal and administrative charges at the Ombudsman against Mangsal for alleged arbitrariness in refusing to release its shipment.

Century Summit accused Mangsal of violating Republic Act No. 3019, Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, for asking it to engage the services of her nephew as cargo broker.

Mangsal should also be held liable for violation of RA 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, for the “unjustified delay in the processing of the … shipment, her refusal to reply, as well as her neglect in the performance of specific duties mandated by law.”

As of June 7, 2015, allegedly Mansal has stopped reporting to her office at the Customs for days or weeks. Furthermore, Surigao locals purport that Mangsal is incredibly shamed by her own doing that everywhere in Surigao she cannot even afford to look at other people in the eye and all the time keeps her head down.

We call on government, Department of Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and his Undersecretary Carlo A. Carag, the new Customs commissioner Albert Lina to appoint a new head of office for the Bureau of Customs Port of Surigao to allow business in that district to proceed as usual.

Without a formal replacement, decisionmaking and operations at that bureau’s station is severely affected and in turn it affects the revenue collections and destroys the goodwill with the clientele of government.

We believe any inaction on the part of the government places us all at a disadvantage and the lack of punitive measures against corrupt officials like Mangsal is extremely detrimental to the government’s transparency campaign, “MATUWID NA DAAN”.

An article about World War III and corruption in the Bureau of Customs states:

In the past, we rooted for the government to come clean with the then prevailing situation at the bureau where the smuggling syndicates are lording over everything taking place in that area.

The syndicate dictates upon the government not to install CCTV cameras, to deliberately sabotage the effectivity of the E2M process, not to use radio net inside the bureau of customs and to refrain from all other activities that will in any way inhibit, constrict, fend off, repel, thwart, stop, prevent or in any way lessen the power and intensity of the syndicate operations at all the Philippine ports (airport, maritime port, etc.)

In effect this situation portrays a government that lost its integrity. The members of the nuclear and the branches of the family of the fake figurehead sitting by the Pasig River, expect a direct regular take from this syndicate and are themselves deeply enmeshed with the activities of the syndicate. Read more from here…

We have a dying government and the people are suffering miserably.

Everyone of us has an obligation to do something, small or big, in our own way to end all the pain and the misery the entire country is going through.

We will answer to the future generations for our undoing so let us start moving now!

For comments and suggestions on this article, please write us at: qualitymodernizationreforms@gmail.com.

Related Articles:

Mon Tulfo on Surigao Port: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/693071/duterte-poe-tandem-unbeatable

Marlon Reyes: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/694511/firm-files-graft-case-vs-surigao-customs-exec#ixzz3bSAYnCT9

Gold Bars Smuggling in Surigao

Davao-Indonesia-Malaysia Oil Smuggling Pipeline

Smugglers charged n times, but still continue illegal activities

Competent Commissioner Exec forced by smugglers and politicians to resign

A simple time of silence and attentiveness is needed. For just a little while, stop the desperate fibbing about DAP, PDAF, Destroy Jinggoy-Estrada-Enrile-Binay, et al.

Let’s for a brief moment focus on a potential flashpoint. The power situation in Luzon and nearby areas is facing a possible threat from incoming tropical storm Rammasun. With the entry of the storm months, any small or major damage might engender greater numbers of power shortages in Luzon. Earlier, during the previous month, it was reported by Manila Times that the worsening power problems will cause severe crisis over the next two years. (Read the news item here.)

As early as 1990, it was already admonished by the Department of National Defense that the Philippines get into the act of laying the infrastructure for surplus power supply for the next twenty five years (from 1990 up to 2015). This suggestion was not heeded. While the intention of succeeding regime after that of Mrs. Corazon Aquino was possibly noble, the deregulation of the power sector did nothing to cure the problem of extreme shortfall in the national requirement for power.

Photo credit: extremetech.com

Photo credit: imageshack

We cannot overstate the potential impact of incoming Tropical Storm Rammasun (local code name Bagyo Glenda). However, with its path going through areas where above ground power transmission lines can possibly be hit by its now strengthening winds, there is no doubt that a number of circuit suspension towers will topple at the height of the storm.

If Rammasun itself does not completely break down major portions of Central and Southern Luzon’s suspension towers and sever a large number of electric transmission lines, forthcoming typhoons and even more minor tropical storms can do the job.

A large number of preventive activities need to be put in place. During the storm it will be absolutely hazardous to keep live power lines intact just to avoid transmission from tripping. The time to undertake pro-active measures is now, before the strong winds come. And following the exit of Rammasun or Glenda, more pro-active measures can then be taken – considering lessons learned from the passage of the storm.

These however must necessitate that serious attention be given to such kind of effort, beyond the present panicked and frenetic, super desperate moves to throw mud at each other between the group of Philippine president Mr. Aquino and his critics, as well as the Philippine Supreme Court that recently outlawed a fund use scheme called Development Acceleration Program.

In most developed, as well as in many developing countries, storm or typhoon buffers are installed to protect and safeguard farms and other agriculture livelihood centers.

Such storm buffers do not prevent total destruction of crops but these greatly minimize the losses from the havoc wreaked by the calamity.

For keeping as many power transmission lines and suspension towers safe, such buffers can be installed even for short-term purposes. In this case, prior to the landfall of Rammasun (Glenda), some safety measures can be installed. At the very least, lesser damage can be expected from the storm in case Rammasun (Glenda) will develop fast into a super typhoon.

As of this time, while there are a large number of power plant operations in Luzon are bogged down, if a substantial portion of the grid will suffer damage, the potential for burgeoning power outages will be great.

Rammasun is expected to hit the Philippine area of responsibility in the next 48 hours. For the love of God, stop bickering just for a short while and do something about this problem. If the Philippine government fails to listen to suggestions that could increase chances of preventing critical power outages in Luzon, then it must be the most inutile regime this country ever had in the entire history of this nation.