Malacañang on Tuesday said the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Bureau of Customs (BOC) could ‘fairly’ investigate a confrontation between their personnel, while warning that those found to have abused their authority could be removed from their posts.
‘The president has confidence in both agencies, the PNP and the BOC, that they can properly and fairly investigate what happened between the two agencies,’ Palace press officer Claire Castro said.
While an investigation is ongoing, the two agencies committed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that they would not allow undesirable personnel to remain on either side.
‘If there was indeed alleged abuse, then those involved must be held accountable,’ she said.
She warned that personnel found to have committed violations could be removed from their positions.
The PNP-Highway Patrol Group (HPG) relieved and reassigned the head of its Regional Highway Patrol Unit-National Capital Region (RHPU-NCR) and 12 of his men over an alleged confrontation with BOC-Port of Subic agents at a warehouse in Sta. Maria, Bulacan on Aug. 19.
Armed civilian-clothed HPG operatives swooped down on the Bulacan warehouse, frisked and handcuffed BOC personnel. The standoff was eventually defused following the intervention of BOC officials.
The HPG officers claimed that they were conducting a raid on the warehouse where 225 boxes of illicit Carnival Red cigarettes worth an estimated P8.4 million were seized. They claimed a BOC personnel allegedly opened the warehouse and collected payment during the transaction.
The BOC personnel, however, alleged they were conducting a legitimate ‘incineration’ operation.
It was later discovered that the raid stemmed from operational confusion, as the HPG operatives were actually targeting a different location within the area.
According to Castro, PNP chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez said the ongoing investigation would look into why HPG officers from the NCR conducted the operation in Bulacan, instead of the local police unit or the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
The investigation will also determine whether the HPG had the proper mandate to conduct the alleged buy-bust operation, considering that its primary functions include traffic enforcement, security and anti-carnapping operations.
But the PNP said there might be specific instances when HPG personnel could pursue an operation involving suspected contraband if it originated from a highway and was being tracked by police.
In a statement on Tuesday, the BOC backed its personnel involved in a confrontation with the PNP-HPG, while calling the incident isolated and urging stronger coordination between the two agencies.
BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said Customs personnel ‘must be accorded due respect, professionalism, and proper treatment at all times, consistent with established inter-agency protocols.’
‘The BOC and PNP have a proven record of successful joint operations that have resulted in the apprehension and seizure of billions of pesos worth of smuggled and illicit goods. This longstanding cooperation must be preserved and strengthened,’ the BOC added.
Nepomuceno directed officials to use the incident to strengthen interagency coordination and improve operational protocols to prevent similar confrontations.