Biazon offers to resign right after SONA
By Tetch Torres-Tupas
INQUIRER.net
9:09 pm | Monday, July 22nd, 2013
MANILA, Philippines — Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon immediately offered his resignation after President Benigno Aquino III, in his fourth State of the Nation Address, named the Bureau of Customs as one of the “incompetent” government agencies losing P200 billion in revenue due to smuggling.
“In light of the President’s statement regarding the BOC, I immediately offered my resignation within minutes after the end of the speech,” Biazon said in a statement posted on his Twitter account.
“Instead of collecting the proper taxes and preventing contraband from entering the country, they are heedlessly permitting the smuggling of goods and even drugs, arms and other items of a similar nature into our territory,” the president said in his speech, noting that the BoC’s personnel are trying to outdo each other’s incompetence.
However, Biazon said Aquino declined his offer to resign.
“Ruffy, we both know the difficulties in the agency you are trying to reform. My confidence in you remains the same,” Biazon said, quoting Aquino when they talked after the speech.