For a change, the Bureau of Customs and the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group have agreed to pull in one direction.

Yesterday, Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales and PASG chief Antonio Villar Jr. stood side by side in presenting to the media four 40-foot shipping vans containing used clothing worth P10 million.

This was the second time that Villar joined Morales in an inspection of smuggled items since PASG created in 2007.

The last was on July 3, 2007 inside the examination area of Port of Manila when the two officials inspected 99 vans of assorted smuggled items brought in by fictitious owners.

Villar, a known critic of the bureau, was in a teamwork mood.

“This is the start of a joint coordination between Customs and PASG. Actually, these are overstaying here at the Manila International Container Port and we have to open up these containers and we found out that some of them containing used clothing,” he said.

“We also received an intelligence report that the items would be released from the Customs’ custody so we coordinated immediately with Commissioner Morales and [MICP] collector Adelina Molina, and we prevented it to happen. The containers are consigned to R.F. Crisostomo Trading but I don’t know whether it exists but just the same, this is a good start.”

One accusation made by Villar was that big-time car smugglers in the country are being protected by a “godfather” in government.

Recently, he said a Customs official in Subic signed a document allowing the release of more than 400 used vehicles, a prohibited shipment, from the Subic Bay Free Port. He said the second-hand cars would be transferred and sold to Port of Irene.

When asked if they’re burying the hatchet, Morales said “Wala namang masamang tinapay sa atin [in context, there’s no bad blood]. We’re just doing our job.”

But he would not concede any point to his counterpart.

“We are all accountable officials and I will not tolerate any wrongdoing here in the bureau.”

Morales said the seized used clothing would be donated to the Social Welfare Department for distribution to poor families.

He noted that the shipment arrived at MICP in 2007 and was seized after a 100-percent examination of the containers.

Two containers were declared as outsoles, another as bags and gift items, the other accessories and gift items. All four containers were found to contain undeclared articles of used clothing. Joel M. Zurbano and Joyce Pangco Pañares