No soft gloves. No room for smugglers. No compromise on border protection.

That was the unmistakable message delivered by Bureau of Customs–Port of Zamboanga District Collector Atty. Manuel Oliva Zurbito, Jr. as he took center stage before the officers and personnel of the Philippine National Police Police Regional Office 9 (PRO9).

Zurbito’s appearance as Guest of Honor and Speaker during the September 7, 2026 Flag Raising Ceremony and awarding of outstanding PRO9 personnel at Camp Colonel Romeo A. Abendan was more than a ceremonial engagement.

It was a declaration of war against illicit trade.

With the Zamboanga Peninsula and Sulu serving as critical gateways for legitimate commerce—and potential routes for contraband—the BOC-POZ chief made it clear that the fight against smuggling cannot be won by Customs alone.

It takes an ironclad alliance with the police and other law-enforcement agencies.

And Zurbito is pushing that alliance forward.

ZURBITO: SMUGGLING MUST BE STOPPED

Speaking before PRO9 personnel, Zurbito underscored the indispensable role of the police in the Bureau of Customs’ border-protection mandate.

His message was direct: the battle against smuggling requires constant coordination, intelligence-sharing and decisive enforcement on the ground and at sea.

For Zurbito, the issue is not simply about confiscating illegal goods.

It is about protecting legitimate businesses, government revenues, consumers, farmers and the country’s economic security.

Smuggling—particularly agricultural smuggling and the movement of prohibited or undeclared goods—can undermine legitimate trade and inflict damage far beyond the value of the seized cargo.

That is why the BOC-POZ chief is betting heavily on stronger inter-agency operations.

PNP PRO9: WE STAND WITH CUSTOMS

The message from Zurbito was met with an equally forceful response from Police Brigadier General Elmer E. Ragay, Regional Director of PNP PRO9.

Ragay welcomed Zurbito and affirmed PRO9’s support for the Bureau of Customs’ enforcement campaign.

That commitment matters.

Because in a region where maritime routes, land corridors and border areas demand relentless vigilance, the partnership between Customs and the police can become a formidable wall against illegal trade.

And Zurbito knows it.

THE ZURBITO FACTOR

What distinguishes Atty. Zurbito is his visible effort to bring enforcement agencies closer together instead of allowing them to operate in isolated lanes.

He personally conveyed the appreciation of BOC Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno to PRO9 leadership for its operational support in joint maritime and land-based anti-smuggling efforts.

That is leadership from the front.

Not sitting behind a desk. Not waiting for problems to explode.

But building partnerships before the next shipment of contraband attempts to slip through.

Under Commissioner Nepomuceno’s broader campaign for stronger border protection and intensified anti-smuggling enforcement, Zurbito’s approach at the Port of Zamboanga reflects a simple but powerful formula:

Customs plus Police equals stronger borders.

THE MESSAGE TO SMUGGLERS? WATCH OUT!

For those engaged in illicit trade, the emerging BOC-POZ-PRO9 alliance should send a very clear warning:

The net is getting tighter.

The geography may be challenging. The routes may be complicated. The tactics of smugglers may continue to evolve.

But so must enforcement.

And with Zurbito pushing for stronger coordination with the PNP, the Port of Zamboanga is signaling that border protection is not business as usual.

The fight is becoming more coordinated.

The enforcement front is becoming wider.

And the message from Zurbito is unmistakable:

If smugglers think they can exploit the borders of Western Mindanao with impunity, they better think again.

Because on this front, Customs and the PNP are tightening ranks—and Atty. Manuel Zurbito, Jr. is standing at the forefront.

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