MANILA: They say money talks in graft-ridden government offices. At the Bureau of Customs (BOC) when they talk about grease money, crooked customs personnel have their own lexicon to keep outsiders at bay.
The BOC is one of the country’s most corrupt agencies, according to various studies. Corruption has been so engrained in its processes that it has has spawned a strange and ever-evolving lingo to somehow mask illicit transactions.
Take for example “ulo ng aso.” When brokers are asked by unscrupulous customs employees to produce “ulo ng aso” in exchange for a signature or two, it means P1,000 in grease money.
A longtime customs broker told GMA News that the term might have been derived from a very tiny image on a P1,000 bill that closely resembles a dog’s head with erect ears. Yes, someone spent a lot of time studying the bill.
It stemmed from a complaint by two students who were interns in a brokerage company. The two came knocking at the door of the Customs Public Information and Assistance Division, complaining that a customs employee required an “ulo ng aso” when they asked to have some importation documents cleared.
At first, they had no idea what “ulo ng aso” was. They only found out they were the target of a shakedown after talking with some brokers and the coded message was cracked for them.
The students sought the help of customs officials, and a sting operation followed. The mulcting customs employee was caught red-handed with several “ulo ng aso” in his pocket.
