Bureau of Customs (BOC) Chief Ruffy Biazon said Saturday he will be writing a letter of complaint to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) following an arrest of a corrupt field director on Friday. The arrest he said, almost resulted in a firefight between the suspect and the arresting NBI officials.
“I support anticorruption operations and activities by government agencies, especially law enforcement units. In fact, I continuously encourage the public to report and file complaints against erring BOC personnel. However, I would like to point out that there should be inter-agency cooperation and courtesy in operations such as the recent sting operation conducted against a BOC employee,” an Inquirer News report quoted Biazon as saying.
On Friday, NBI operatives arrested Renato Palgan, a BOC field director assigned at the Manila International Container Port. A complaint was filed against him by a broker who claimed that the Customs official tried to extort P40,000 from him for the release of his linoleum shipment.
Palgan was arrested in a sting operation, but not after he drew firearms at the NBI officers. According to the NBI, Palgan will be facing charges of robbery-extortion, graft, illegal possession of firearms, and violation of the election gun ban.
