BOC tightens crackdown on 'haoshiaos'

Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno has made it clear that "haoshiaos"-fixers who operate inside Customs premises-are officially on notice: personnel caught dealing with them risk serious consequences, including dismissal from government service.

- By DERCO ROSAL

The warning came in a Jan. 20 memorandum coming from Nepomuceno's own office, which stressed that Customs staff must not engage with haoshiaos in any capacity, in line with the Bureau's code of conduct on public and working relations.

According to the BOC, haoshiaos are outsiders who perform sensitive Customs tasks meant only for regular personnel, despite having no official contract or employment documents. Their presence exposes the country's second-biggest tax-collection agency to corruption risks and undermines the integrity of frontline operations.

Under the latest directive, penalties escalate sharply. First offenders will be reprimanded, second offenders may be suspended for up to one month, and third offenders risk outright dismissal from government service.

BOC Deputy Commissioner for enforcement Nolasco K. Bathan was tasked to oversee compliance and must submit an initial report within 10 working days. The tight deadline signals the top management's intent to turn the directive into immediate, visible action rather than another reminder lost in bureaucracy.