MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BoC) has confirmed that at least 28 of its employees are now the subject of criminal and administrative charges ranging from corruption to neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service. Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno disclosed on Wednesday that the six cases recently endorsed by the agency to the Department of Finance (DoF) under the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act included Customs employees and three consignees for alleged involvement in large-scale agricultural smuggling, reinforcing the agency’s serious and uncompromising stance against smuggling and internal misconduct. Nepomuceno said that to date, nine Customs personnel were in the draft complaint-affidavits for violation of Section 7 in relation to Section 14 of Republic Act (RA) 12022,or the Anti-Smuggling Act of 2016. The same nine personnel are likewise being charged for violation of Section 3 of Republic Act 3019, otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. In addition, 19 personnel are the subjects of administrative cases for neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, arising from the same investigation. Nepomuceno said the violations were uncovered following a comprehensive investigation into irregularities in the importation and processing of agricultural shipments at the Port of Subic, including suspected misdeclaration and unlawful facilitation of cargo clearance.