Angara eyes higher pay for Customs execs

Sen. Edgardo “Sonny” Angara is open to the proposal to exempt Customs officials from the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) as part of the reforms under the proposed Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) in a bid to professionalize the Bureau of Customs (BOC), perceived to be one of the most corrupt government agencies.

“By exempting the BOC from the government’s salary cap, we could provide better pay for our Customs officials that would allow us to hire more competent employees and reward honest officials. But before we make any increase in their pay scale, there should be improved qualification and performance benchmarks in place to further professionalize its ranks,” Angara, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means committee, said.