Philippines wages war on crooked customs agents

MANILA, September 3, 2014 (AFP) – Standing near mountains of goods destined to be smuggled through the Philippines’ biggest port, the nation’s customs chief admits that being on the frontline of the president’s war on graft is overwhelming.”I’ve never seen anything like it,” John Sevilla said, commenting on a pervasive culture of bribery, extortion and stealing at a government agency that collects revenues equivalent to 20 percent of the nation’s budget.”There’s no secret about the fact that this is not an agency which inspires a lot of trust and confidence among our people.”But Sevilla, a former Goldman Sachs executive, has bold plans for systemic change that are showing early signs of success.

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