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Friday, September 19, 2003
Editorial: ‘Haoshiao’ at Customs
“Haoshiao” workers at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Cebu aren’t much different from the civilian agents at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7. Both are not paid by the Government for their services.
Unlike the armed but untrained civilian NBI agents, the “haoshiao” workers at BOC, except for the bodyguardsa, routinely don’t carry guns. But the damage “haoshiao” workers inflict could be worse.
NBI’s civilian agents have appointments and are technically part of the agency as suppliers of information and aides during its operations. But BOC’s “haoshiao” workers are not employees in whatever sense, not even casuals or temporary workers.
The “haoshiao” workers are “gofers,” errand boys, messengers, aides, drivers, and others performing similar tasks.
They get no appointment papers from the bureau nor pay slips from the Government. The customs official picks his own “haoshiao” workers who serve at his pleasure. Their pay is from “collections and tips,” clear euphemism for tong, from importers and others who do business at the BOC.
That by itself is objectionable. In effect, what “haoshiao” workers do is serve as fixers for BOC clients and, of course, the customs officials’ bidding. Inevitably, they become fronts or bagmen of their customs bosses.
While other agencies of government outlaw fixers, at least in theory and rhetoric, at the BOC the fixers are part of the apparatus.
Fixers are normally banned because they distort the regulation process. Unlike the regular employees, they don’t enforce rules, they find ways to bend them. And they are not accountable to the Government for negligence or wrongdoing.
Being fixers is bad enough. How much worse if they serve as front or bagman for their masters?
Thus the huge anomaly at the BOC. The regular employees are rendered useless by the “haoshiao” workers who virtually take over tasks of regulation. Officials to whom the “haoshiao” workers owe their living entrust the work to them instead of the regular employees of the bureau.
It’s absurdly anomalous and yet, they tell us, “haoshiao” workers have long existed at the BOC since any veteran customs worker or observer can remember. A conservative count places their present number at 100.
Whose interest do the “haoshiao” workers serve? Their bosses’ welfare, their own, but surely not government or public interest.
Those who know the role of “haoshiao” workers are not surprised by the recent turn of events at the BOC.
Two such workers, operating under the wing of no less than the chief of the Customs Intelligence & Investigation Service (CIIS), were jailed the other day, facing charges of murder for the July 24 ambush killing of two customs officials and one bystander. The self-confessed gunman implicated a customs examiner as one of the masterminds.
“Haoshiao” workers are not screened under prescribed qualification process, holds no accountability to the Government, and by nature subordinates private interest to public weal.
Why in heaven’s name are they allowed at the Bureau of Customs, so flagrantly and recklessly?
(September 19, 2003 issue)
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