The Philippines’ two anti-smuggling forces are now formally at odds. The PNP-Highway Patrol Group has filed a complaint against two Bureau of Customs personnel over an August raid in Bulacan that ended with police frisking uniformed customs officers.
What the complaint says
The seven-page complaint, filed Aug. 28 before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Malolos City, asks investigators to admit the sworn statement of alleged middleman Jesus Froilan Acebes Carpiso. In his affidavit, Carpiso placed the two BOC personnel at the Bulacan warehouse when the entrapment, or buy-bust, operation took place on Aug. 19, and identified them as the individuals who allegedly received payment in exchange for 225 boxes of allegedly smuggled Red Carnival cigarettes.
Two agencies, two versions of the same raid
Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno has rejected the police account. He said his personnel were covered by a mission order he signed and were simply destroying seized cigarettes at a condemnation facility when HPG members barged in. He told Bilyonaryo News Channel on Aug. 25 he had no knowledge of individuals going by the aliases “Joy” and “Alex,” though a BOC memorandum dated Aug. 20 indicated the two were among those who prepared the incident report.
The other side of the coin
Nepomuceno has said the BOC will file its own complaint with the National Police Commission against HPG personnel who allegedly accosted customs officers. Malacañang, through Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro, said on Aug. 25 that those found responsible for any abuse must be held accountable, while PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. looks into the overlapping operations.
Where it stands
- 13 HPG officers implicated in the confrontation have been relieved pending investigation.
- The complaint asks that the two BOC personnel and another individual be included in the preliminary investigation, with subpoenas issued against them.
- The BOC says its own men were on a legitimate mission when the raid was interrupted.
This is the latest escalation in a years-long fight over the illegal cigarette trade, where enforcement gaps rather than high taxes have fueled smuggling. The tussle also comes as the PNP rolls out body cameras, a tool that could settle exactly what happened inside that Bulacan warehouse.
