By Betheena Kae Unite
Bureau of Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña has relieved eight district commanders under the Customs Intelligence Investigation Service and has sent its interim director Wilkins Villanueva back to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Lapeña downplayed Villanueva’s exit from the BoC, saying the former CIIS officer-in-charge is needed in the PDEA. He said Villanueva’s return to the PDEA is a “mutual understanding between the two agencies.”
“Director Wilkins returned back to the PDEA because he was needed there. PDEA needs more men especially they were left on their own (on the drug operations),” Lapeña said during a press briefing at the Port of Manila on the day President Duterte returned the Philippine National Police in the government campaign against drugs to support the the PDEA.
“It is a mutual understanding of the head of PDEA and me. He (Villanueva) understands that he needs to be back at the PDEA,” the commissioned added.
The eight CIIS officials were relieved due to their failure to render intelligence report over the past three months.
Lapeña said that the decision to move Villanueva from the BoC to the PDEA “was not because of low performance.”
“It was not the basis of the decision to return him to the PDEA. It was still too early to say kasi two months pa lang siya,” Lapeña said.
He also said that there was no “hard feelings” between him and Villanueva when the decision was made.
