By Ferdinand Patinio/PNA
MANILA — Some 45 personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have reported for work at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Monday.
According to Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero, the Coast Guard personnel would be under the Enforcement Group (EG) and would be detailed at the Port of Manila (POM) and the Manila International Container Port (MICP).
“Eighty of their personnel to the bureau, initially only half of them came, around 40-45 personnel,” Guerrero said in an interview.
“They would also be assisting us in other duties aside from enforcement,” Guerrero added.
The EG has direct supervision over the Customs Police and the Water Patrol Unit.
On the other hand, BOC Deputy Commissioner for Assessment and Operations Coordinating Group (AOCG) Edward James Dy Buco said some Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel will also be reporting at the BOC.
The soldiers will be assigned to help Customs technicians scan the shipments that pass through the x-ray machines.
The deployment of PCG and AFP men at the BOC was implemented through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed last Nov. 19.
The agreement, which is valid for six months, was signed in connection with the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to deploy additional personnel to the bureau.
