By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Wednesday revealed that it will also be looking at the luxury vehicles that have been surrendered by former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Bulacan Assistant District Engineer Brice Ericson Hernandez before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).
At the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing, lawyer Chris Bendijo, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Office of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), said aside from the former Bulacan official, they will also conduct investigation on other DPWH employees, whom he did not identify.
“Regarding the details, we are looking into something –the ones that have been surrendered to ICI, the vehicles of Brice Hernandez, the Commissioner is also looking into the taxes that have been paid here and in addition to that, we have something else, some other DPWH employees who have reports, the BOC is also looking into that,” Bendijo added.
He also reported that the BOC is currently evaluating the responses of some bureau employees that have been issued show cause orders regarding the ongoing investigation on luxury vehicles linked to the flood control mess.
“Apart from that, the Commissioner (Ariel Nepomuceno) has also mentioned that we have issued show cause orders to the BOC employees who appear in the document that was part of the entry of the smuggled items, so we are asking them to explain,” Bendijo said.
“As far as I know, some of them have already submitted their explanations and they are currently being evaluated because what the commissioner said is very clear, we will not spare anybody from this. We regret that they are part of the Commission, but we need to do something to restore the public’s trust in the BOC,” he added.
The BOC official also clarified that they are only investigating items that involved importation.
“Those covered by our investigation are only those goods that are going through importation and not the total ill-gotten wealth of the personalities mentioned in the investigations,” he said.
Last month, Hernandez turned over to the ICI two luxury vehicles –a black GMC Yukon Denali sports utility vehicle (SUV) and Lamborghini Urus worth millions of pesos.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. created the ICI to investigate the supposed corruption on flood control projects.
Meanwhile, Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD) Chairperson Emeritus Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia praised the Chief Executive for taking a firm and fearless stand against corruption and inefficiency, calling his actions a “renewal of moral governance” that restores confidence in public institutions.
“The President’s message is simple but powerful. No money should go to waste, and no one should be above the law. That kind of leadership earns the trust of the people,” he said.
Goitia said these reforms are not mere words but concrete steps toward genuine reform.
He said simplifying government processes and improving coordination among agencies will reduce duplication, red tape, and waste.
“This administration isn’t just talking about change. It’s doing the work. For the first time in years, there’s a clear sense of direction and discipline. Every project is now measured by how much it helps ordinary Filipinos,” he added.
On Tuesday, the BOC submitted to the ICI documents relevant to the commission’s ongoing investigations, including the case involving the Discaya family. (PNA)
