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The Bureau of Customs welcomed the formal complaint filed by the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group against two customs officers over their alleged involvement in an operation on 19 August in Bulacan
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The bureau said the complaint provides the proper avenue to clarify the incident, establish facts and ensure due process
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BOC is conducting a separate internal investigation launched after the incident
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Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno reiterated the agency’s “zero-tolerance” policy toward proven wrongdoing, abuse of authority or illegal activity by customs personnel
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The PNP-HPG complaint names BOC special agent Lucky Joy “Joy” Solmayor and support staff Alexander “Alex” Arroyo Jr. for possible inclusion in the investigation over an operation involving smuggled cigarettes
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) welcomed the formal complaint filed by the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) against two customs personnel over their alleged involvement in an August 19 operation in Bulacan.
BOC, in a statement, said the case would provide the proper avenue for establishing the facts and ensuring due process.
The BOC also said it is conducting its own internal investigation, which was promptly initiated following the incident.
The bureau reiterated Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno’s policy of “zero tolerance” for proven wrongdoing, abuse of authority or illegal activity by its personnel.
Nepomuceno has repeatedly said that any customs personnel found, after due investigation, to have violated the law or abused their authority will be held accountable and face appropriate administrative, civil and/or criminal sanctions.
“At the same time, the BOC maintains that all parties concerned must be afforded due process and that any findings must be based on facts and evidence,” the bureau said.
The agency also said it would continue to cooperate fully with the PNP-HPG and other concerned authorities while strengthening coordination with fellow law enforcement agencies in the fight against smuggling and illicit trade.
READ: BOC reaffirms Customs‑police cooperation following Bulacan incident
The PNP-HPG filed a formal complaint against BOC special agent Lucky Joy “Joy” Solmayor and technical support staff member Alexander “Alex” Arroyo Jr. in connection with the raid on a Bulacan warehouse allegedly containing smuggled cigarettes.
In the seven-page complaint filed on August 28, PNP-HPG police corporal Melvin Habbiling cited the sworn affidavit of alleged middleman Jesus Froilan Acebes Carpiso, who identified Solmayor and Arroyo as among those present during the operation.
“Wherefore, premises considered, complainants most respectfully pray that this Honorable Office: Admit the Malayang Sinumpaang-Salaysay/Sworn Statement of Jesus Froilan Acebes Carpiso, together with the other supporting documentary and/or electronic evidence subsequently obtained, and consider the same as integral parts of the records of the instant case,” read the complaint, a copy of which was obtained by the media on August 31, 2026.
The complaint further stated that Solmayor, Arroyo and a certain Jocelyn Miano Bancairen should be included in the preliminary investigation and determination of probable cause, with “appropriate subpoenas” issued against them.
In his sworn affidavit, Carpiso said Solmayor and Arroyo were present at the Bulacan warehouse when the Regional Highway Patrol Unit-National Capital Region (RHPU-NCR) conducted the raid.
He identified the two BOC personnel as those who allegedly received payment in exchange for 225 boxes of allegedly smuggled Red Carnival cigarettes during an entrapment, or buy-bust, operation on August 19.
Carpiso allegedly acted as the middleman in the sale of the cigarettes. He accompanied Solmayor to the Bulacan warehouse, where they were met by Arroyo shortly before the RHPU-NCR arrived to conduct the raid.
The incident on August 19 saw armed HPG operatives in civilian attire raid the warehouse and frisked uniformed customs staff during what the BOC called a legitimate cigarette incineration operation.
The standoff was later defused following the intervention of BOC officials.
The incident was later attributed to operational confusion, with the HPG operatives reportedly targeting a different location in the area.—Michael Barcas
