DURING his pre-departure flight over the weekend for his trip to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum (Davos) meeting, PBBM was quoted as expressing his dismay on our continuing problem with smuggling, particularly of agricultural products.

In the same interview, PBBM was also quoted as saying he is contemplating on creating another “special task force” whose primary job is to focus on smuggling.

Of course, everyone, particularly those at the forefront of the anti-smuggling campaign, the men and women of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), share PBBM’s frustration as regards the continuing menace that smuggling poses not only on our economy in general but also on the various social sectors affected, which, in this case, our local farmers.

Modesty aside, yours truly is one of those quite familiar with the goings on and more importantly, on the many reforms the BOC has undertaken for many decades now not only to facilitate trade but also to include the government’s various approaches against smuggling having been at the BOC just right after the 1986 “people power” that illegally removed PBBM’s father, Pres. Ferdinand Edralin Marcos.

And here, we kindly caution PBBM not to immediately succumb to the idea that another special task force would be the “solution” versus smuggling. He should be wary that those advocating such approach may have ulterior motive for themselves other than truly addressing the problem of smuggling.

Translation Mr. President? All those who went on to lead all special task forces against smuggling eventually ended up getting very rich and very quickly too!

Heck, during the Ramos administration, we even ended up acquiring the services of a Swiss-based pre-shipment inspector (PSI) that was paid in the billions but still, smuggling persisted while government revenue being collected by the BOC continues to decline.

Both the PSI and the various anti-smuggling task forces ended up being considered as actually a “scam” where the Philippine government is a willing victim.

To be fair too, the BOC today has come a long way in the “digitization” of its processes—over 90 percent— and whose benefits we are all now actually benefiting from.

In terms of revenue collection alone, thanks to the BOC digitization that started in earnest and seriousness under the Duterte administration, the BOC last year actually collected more than P820 billion, its highest in history and this without any ‘foreign intervention’ such as the PSI.

In the area of transparency in the conduct of any anti-smuggling operation, the BOC, too, has shown the way, even beating the PNP in the wearing of body cameras during actual inspections; RFID locks are also placed on container vans so the BOC can monitor their transport from the moment they left the container yard up to the time they reach their final destination and thus frustrate any attempt at diversion.

What is to be done then? For yours truly, the first step in solving the problem is the realization by everyone to include our policy makers, that to blame the BOC alone for the continuation of smuggling is wrong and totally unfair.

If smuggling is to be addressed, it should be approached the way the government has weaken the communist insurgency—thru a ‘whole-of-government’ strategy that should also encompass Congress and our judicial system to include the prosecutors of the Department of Justice.

The BOC has filed hundreds of anti-smuggling cases at the DOJ to include those charged under RA 10845 for economic sabotage and yes, Mr. President, most of these cases are gathering cobwebs at the DOJ. Should the BOC still to be blamed if the wheel of justice grinds frustratingly low on these cases?

The only way that we can deter certain groups and well-connected individuals from pursuing smuggling is to make sure on the certainty of punishment, jail time and even public exposure.

In the case of agricultural products, various congressional inquiries, including the one held in the Senate yesterday, pointed to the conclusion that if blame for smuggling is to be placed, it should fall not with the BOC but with the Department of Agriculture.

It is the weaknesses of the systems at the DA (less than 50 percent digitization) to include the attitude of some people there that are largely contributing to smuggling.

As for Congress, PBBM may want to consult with Albay Rep. Joey Salceda as regards the “list” in his possession covering the alleged names of bigtime smugglers. He should not be surprised too, to know that some of those in the list are, hold on peeps, members of Congress!

Our conclusion? No need to re-invent the wheel in the fight against smuggling, Mr. President, by creating another anti-smuggling task force.

What we need is a coherent and unified strategy thru a whole-of-government approach with the BOC leading the way.

Abangan!