Push Admin

Lawmaker says Customs hired athletes as intelligence agents

Article (news)

RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

MANILA- Lawmakers want the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to explain its decision to hire athletes as intelligence agents as revealed during the House of Representatives&#x27; Ways and Means Committee inquiry on the smuggling of P6.4-billion worth of shabu through the port of Manila.A list read by Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu at the House hearing on Wednesday showed that 28 athletes were on the BOC&#x27;s payroll, among them volleyball star Alyssa Valdez and basketball greats Kenneth Duremdes and Marlou Aquino, assigned at different BOC offices.The list is in a Customs Special Order dated Sept. 27, 2016 signed by Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, which authorized his chief of staff Mandy Therese Anderson to sign the Daily Time Record of the personnel.<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/tvpatrol/08/03/athletes.jpg"/><figcaption>Names of athletes in the Customs Special Order dated Sept. 27, 2016</figcaption></figure></div>Abu hinted that the athletes were hired to form the bureau&#x27;s sports teams which compete in different leagues to circumvent league rules that limit the number of imported players.He recalled that when he raised the matter to Faeldon, the commissioner said the athletes worked as intelligence agents and technical assistants.Abu on Thursday said that while there was nothing wrong with hiring athletes, the bureau has to show that they are qualified for Customs work.The list is of interest to lawmakers as Faeldon had blasted politicians for supposedly corrupting the agency by lobbying for promotions of personnel.Faeldon on Wednesday alleged that some politicians wanted him to &quot;influence the promotions board&quot; so that some Customs employees could be promoted.Some politicians, he said, also wanted a hand in designations and reassignments so that their own men could be assigned to plum posts. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/02/17/faeldon-blasts-corrupt-politicos-my-god-shame-on-you">READ: Faeldon blasts &#x27;corrupt&#x27; politicos: My God, shame on you!</a></li></ul>Ways and Means Committee Chair Carlo Cua teased Faeldon, saying it was unfair to accuse lawmakers of being the source of corruption in the bureau.&quot;Professional basketball players being hired at the BOC as intel officers? &#x27;Yung mga &#x27;yun &#x27;di naman siguro congressmen ang nagrekomenda doon. Di natin masasabi na lahat ng corruption sa BOC ay kasalanan ng congressman. Napaka-unfair naman ata,&quot; he said.Cua is interested to know if the athletes have other functions in the BOC. &quot;Itanong na lang natin sa BOC kung talagang ang players ay nagpe-perform ng official functions. Ayoko naman po husgahan, kawawa naman &#x27;yung players, baka naman nag-trabaho,&quot; he said, admitting that he has not seen the document and has only seen social media posts.Cua said there is a need to look at the actual appointment of the athletes to see if they are qualified for their BOC posts.PBA party-list Rep. Mark Aeron Sambar added that if the athletes simply played sports for the bureau, it should be checked whether it was right that government funds were being spent for sports activities.&quot;If the BOC can justify that they have the capability, they are capable of working in the BOC if they have talents, I&#x27;m all for it. They hire professional or retired players, sana &#x27;di sila hinire just so they can play the sport,&quot; he said.Abu said files of the athletes were already asked to be submitted, noting that some of those on the list are still part of the bureau.

MANILA- Lawmakers want the Bureau of Customs to explain its decision to hire athletes as intelligence agents as revealed during the House Ways and Means Committee inquiry on the smuggling incident of P6.5 billion of shabu.

MANILA- Lawmakers want the Bureau of Customs to explain its decision to hire athletes as intelligence agents as revealed during the House Ways and Means Committee inquiry on the smuggling incident of P6.5 billion of shabu.

Lawmaker says Customs hired athletes as intelligence agents

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

News

Lawmaker says Customs hired athletes as intelligence agents

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 03, 2017 07:34 PM PHT

Read More:

Bureau of Customs

Nicanor Faeldon

athletes

House inquiry

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.