ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Bureau of Customs (BoC) in this city will use “drone planes and satellite phones” to further strengthen their campaign against the entry of smuggled imported goods to ZamBaSulTa or Zamboanga City, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces coming from Sandakan in Malaysia and other neighboring countries in southern Philippines.
Bureau of Customs (BoC) Zamboanga City District Collector Segundo Barte, Jr. said the BoC in this city will utilize drones or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to effectively monitor together with other government agencies the entry of cargo vessels to ZamBaSulTa.
He revealed that BoC security forces in ZamBaSulTa are now on training on how to pilot the drone plane and use the satellite phones for their monitoring activities that aim to stop the entry of imported smuggled goods.
He said Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero has allowed him to purchase the drones and satellite phones after declaring the Zamboanga port as a “disposition port.” Barte claimed that his office has to use drone and satellite phones to meet the order of Guerrero to clear the region of smuggling of imported goods. (Nonoy E. Lacson)
