TRIVIA0023: WHO IS RUFFY BIAZON?

 

HIGHLIGHTS:

 

·                    HIS FULL NAME IS ROZZANO RUFINO B. BIAZON.

 

·                    BORN 20 MARCH 1969.

 

·                    YOUNGEST OF THREE CHILDREN OF SEN. RODOLFO BIAZON AND MONSERRAT BUOAN.

 

·                    FINISHED ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ATMALATECATHOLICSCHOOL.

 

·                    TOOK ZOOLOGY AT UP AND TRANSFERRED TO UST TO TAKE UP MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY. GRADUATED IN 1991.

 

·                    BECAME DIRECTOR OF VIDEOGRAM REGULATORY BOARD (NOW OPTICAL MEDIA BOARD)  IN 1991.

 

·                    HANDLED HIS FATHER’S SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN IN 1992 AND BECAUSE HIS FATHER’S CHIEF OF STAFF UNTIL 1995.

 

·                    BECAME CHIEF LEGISLATIVE OFFICER OF SEN. SERGIO OSMENIA III UNTIL 1997.

 

·                    IN 1998 BECAME AGAIN SEN. BIAZON’S CAMPAIGN MANAGER AND CHIEF OF STAFF DURING THE 12TH CONGRESS.

 

·                    WAS REPRESENTATIVE OF LONE DISTRICT OF MUNTINLUPA CITY FOR THREE TERMS FROM 2001 TO 2010.

 

·                    RAN UNDER THE LIBERAL PARTY IN THE 2010 SENATORIAL ELECTION BUT LOST.

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SOURCE: PHILIPPINE STAR, 15 SEPTEMBER 2011

 

CUSTOMS CHIEF REPLACED
By Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star) Updated September 15, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (55)

 

 

 

MANILA,Philippines- Former Muntinlupa congressman Ruffy Biazon has been named commissioner of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), replacing Angelito Alvarez who was reportedly forced to resign amid criticism that he failed to curb rampant smuggling.

Malacañang announced Biazon’s appointment last night as well as that of retired Brig. Gen. Danny Lim as deputy BOC commissioner for intelligence. Alvarez was unaware of the development when he talked with reporters at noon yesterday.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte, in a press briefing, squelched speculations that the appointment of the two – both defeated senatorial candidates of the Liberal Party – was merely political accommodation.

“The President believes that commissioner Ruffy Biazon can implement the reforms needed in the Customs bureau. His competence cannot be questioned. He will follow the reform agenda as intended by the President,” Valte emphasized.

Biazon told ABS-CBN News Channel that his oath-taking is slated tomorrow and that his first working day will be on Monday. He said he will sit down with Alvarez and hold a formal and ceremonial turnover.

In a press statement, Biazon thanked President Aquino for the appointment, and said he was committed to do his job well, “honestly and faithfully with the country’s welfare as the primary consideration.”

He vowed to implement reforms in the BOC’s systems and procedures, organizational structure, “personnel morale and even the agency’s image.”

“This is a make or break assignment for me, with a challenge much greater than others I have faced before,” he said.

In late August, President Aquino confirmed that he was not satisfied with the performance of Alvarez, reportedly a protégé of Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, and admitted that he already had someone in mind to replace him. He had told reporters that it was Purisima who had been egging him on to keep Alvarez.

Biazon and Aquino were former colleagues in the House of Representatives, the former representing Muntinlupa while the latter was congressman of Tarlac.

The young Biazon is the son of former senator and now Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, who served as AFP chief of staff during the term of Aquino’s mother, the late Corazon Aquino, in the late 80s.

Alvarez drew flak from several House members due to the reported disappearance of nearly 2,000 shipping containers while en route from thePortofManilato Batangas. The “disappearance” of the cargoes cost the government P240 million in unrealized revenues. Alvarez called the demands for his resignation “unjust and undeserved.”

“Some people had lost sight of the fact that it was I who uncovered the missing container scam and that I had ordered the concerned officials of the bureau to explain the discrepancy in the transshipment data long before the start of the congressional inquiry on this matter,” Alvarez said.

Aquino had hinted of a revamp in Customs as early as June.

“You will get that (revamp news) not that soon, but very soon, once we finish it. That is something that is a perpetual topic between the secretary of finance (Purisima) and myself,” he said.

But some lawmakers said Alvarez should be credited for exposing the case of the missing containers and for ordering a freeze on transshipment operations.

“I congratulate you for your effort in exposing this and stopping this practice,” Sen. Ralph Recto told Alvarez earlier yesterday during a hearing by the Congressional Oversight Committee on the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program. Recto chairs the Senate committee on ways and means.

Batangas Rep. Hermilando Mandanas, Recto’s counterpart in the House, also praised Alvarez in the same hearing.

Alvarez earlier ordered a moratorium on transshipment operations to prevent abuse and misuse of the procedures.

The sacked BOC chief said that while transshipment is one of the trade facilitation practices being implemented by the agency, the practice has proven to be prone to abuse.

Under the Tariff and Customs Code of thePhilippines, transshipment is allowed. The process refers to the movement of imported cargoes from their original port of discharge to their final port of destination.

Customs officials could not account for the containers that went missing between January and May.

Congress is currently investigating the matter. The BOC, with the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), however, has already seized P50 million worth of goods in a warehouse inCaloocanbelieved to be part of the missing cargoes. Alvarez also uncovered, through audit, 3,600 more containers that went missing last year. The BOC projects to collect P320 billion this year. 

Clueless

Alvarez was still clueless about his fate at noon yesterday. He even declared that Lim would be a good addition to BOC.

Lim reportedly showed up at the bureau last Tuesday to look for a place to set up office.

“Someone told me that General Lim dropped by the bureau last Tuesday and was looking for me. My secretary scheduled our meeting on Friday (Sept. 16). He was seen touring the facilities of the bureau but I have not yet received his appointment papers. But apparently, it seemed, that he has already accepted the position and might already be looking for a place for his office,” Alvarez said.

“If General Lim would be designated for Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence, and he would be coming from the outside and given his reputation, I am sure that he would be a big help” to the bureau, he added.

Lim replaces Jarius Paguntalan, who quit a few months before Alvarez took over 14 months ago.

Alvarez also said he was still waiting for Malacañang to designate a replacement for BOC-Enforcement Security Service (ESS) director Nestorio Gualberto, who retired last Sept. 8.

II am still waiting for Malacañang to appoint someone. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and I are talking on the possible names (for his replacement). For the time being, I said Deputy Commissioner Horacio Suansing Jr. should oversee the ESS while Secretary Purisima and I are still finalizing on who should be put there,I he said.

“They (legislators) congratulated me. If it is true that I would be out by Friday, this is a good development for me (that I am being recognized for my efforts). It is like a graceful exit,” Alvarez said. with Iris Gonzales and Evelyn Macairan

 

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From WikiPilipinas: The Hip ‘n Free Philippine Encyclopedia

Rozzano Rufino “Ruffy” B. Biazon (born 20 March 1969 in Cavite City) is the representative of the lone district of Muntinlupa City in the House of Representatives of the Philippines. He is the son of Senator Rodolfo Biazon.

Contents

[hide]

[edit] Background

Biazon is youngest of the three children of Rodolfo Biazon and Monserrat Narag Buoan. He finished his elementary and secondary education at Malate Catholic School. For his tertiary education, he took zoology at the University of the Philippines. He transferred to the University of Santo Tomas to take medical technology as a pre-medical course. He graduated in 1991 and entered public service right out of college. He married Catherine Mary Reyes, with whom he had four sons.

[edit] Career

In 1991, Biazon became the director of the Videogram Regulatory Board, now known as the Optical Media Board. He handled his father’s senatorial campaign in 1992 and became the elected senator’s chief of staff until 1995. Following this stint, he was appointmented as chief legislative officer of Senator Sergio Osmeña III until 1997. In 1998, he was a campaign manager for his dad and again chief of staff to his father during the 12th Congress.

As a legislator, he has authored more than 70 bills and resolutions. His third term in the office saw the enactment of 23 of his authored and co-authored proposals, including the Tobacco Regulation Act (Republic Act No. 9211); the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act (RA 9262); the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (RA 9208); the Cheaper Medicines Act (RA 9502); the Tax Relief for Minimum Wage Earners Act (RA 9504); the Socialized and Low-Cost Housing Loan Restructuring and Condonation Program (RA 9507); and the new Cooperative Code of the Philippines (RA 9520). [1]

[edit] 2010 senatorial bid

Biazon is on his last term as a congressman and is targeting a senatorial seat under the Liberal Party for the 2010 national elections.

[edit] Campaign manifesto

Biazon aims to introduce a faith-based and family-oriented reform to the country, and believes that God-centered acts “guarantee accountability and integrity in his public service.” He also considers the “Filipino family as the society’s basic builder and it must be protected and empowered” as it is instrumental to the realization of his vision of “a society imbued with a sense of nationalism and cultural pride for Filipino people.” In order to attain these as a public servant, Biazon imposes upon himself the credo “Do the right things and do things right.”

The following are his plans for the country should he win (as stated in his official website):

  • Livelihood

With the belief that people provided with adequate opportunities become dignified and productive members of the society, Biazon aims to “bring more employment opportunities to Filipinos and make them effective contributors to stable nation-building.”

  • Education

Biazon shares the conviction that “significant investment in the education of children ensures a bright future for the country” and “access to quality education is a way of ensuring that they will become competent and upright citizens.”

  • Health

A nation needs healthy students and members of the workforce in order to progress. To realize this, Biazon “intends to provide quality and affordable healthcare that would guarantee that Filipinos are physically equipped to fulfill their respective roles.”

  • Peace

Biazon aims to “take the initiative in eradicating abuse of power in the government and other sources of disorder in the country.” “To improve social order, he aims to continue implementing laws that would detect and prevent crime, and track down anomalies, especially in the bureaucracy.”

  • Environment

Biazon advocates environmental awareness as a way of protecting the country’s resources. Through this, “Filipinos will be able to find ways to maximize these resources” and protect the communities from adverse effects of natural disasters.

  • Progress

Biazon envisions a prosperousPhilippines, which he aims to realize “through building infrastructures and leading projects that would tap the potentials of Filipinos to become efficient members of the society.”

[edit] Civic affiliations

  • Alabang Jaycees, member (2000-2002)
  • Rotary Club Alabang North, member (2003-present)
  • International Plastic Scale Modelers, member (2005-present)
  • Ayala Alabang Camera Club, member (2007-present)

[edit] Recognitions

  • Cited as an Outstanding Congressman of the Philippinesby The Philippines Free Press
  • Cited as one of the Top 100 Young Leaders by The Philippine Graphic
  • Conferred as an Honorary Woman by the SM Women’s Committee and the Cervical Cancer Prevention Network

[edit] References

  1. ^ Rozzano Rufino Biazon Biography” (accessed 10 March 2010)

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SOURCE:  abs-cbnNEWS.com

Home › Nation ›

Ruffy Biazon is new Customs chief: sources

abs-cbnNEWS.com

Posted at 08/24/2011 7:49 PM | Updated as of 08/25/2011 7:57 AM

MANILA, Philippines (2nd UPDATE) – Malacañang has picked former Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon to replace Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez, ABS-CBN News sources said.

A source also told dzMM’s Jun Lingcoran that President Benigno Aquino III has already signed the appointment papers.

Biazon, who refused to comment on the matter, has supposedly accepted the position already. He was reportedly rooting for the Department of Tourism post, however.

Biazon, a colleague of President Aquino in the Liberal Party, lost in the 2010 senatorial elections.

Alvarez denies resigning

Some quarters have been calling for Alvarez’s resignation allegedly due to his inefficiency as Customs chief.

Zambales Rep. Ma. Milagros Magsaysay said Alvarez should already exercise delicadeza and quit his post after his agency failed to collect billions in taxes from 2,000 container vans that recently went missing.

It has also been reported that Aquino himself wanted to boot out Alvarez.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Alvarez said he has not resigned nor will resign soon.

He also claimed not knowing any of the goings-on in Malacanang, except for some clues from Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima.

“Pinatawag niya ako sa bahay, ‘problema, ang dami talagang nagaambisyon sa pwesto mo maaring naapektuhan si presidente dito sa mga job demolition that are being held against me,’” he said.

Nonetheless, Alvarez said he will accept what is to become of his fate.

“Remember, I serve at the pleasure of the President. At any given time ay puwede niya akong palitan dito, so kung dumating yung time na may mapili na nga siyang replacement for me, definitely I will turn over the position in a very professional manner,” he said. — report from Lynda Jumilla, ABS-CBN News; Jun Lingcoran, dzMM

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SOURCE:MANILATIMES

President ‘offers’ Biazon Cabinet post, Alvarez not quitting

Published : Friday, August 26, 2011 00:00

Article Views : 530

Written by : Llanesca T. Panti, Maria Nikka U. Garriga and Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

President Benigno Aquino 3rd has talked with Rufino “Ruffy” Biazon, a defeated candidate for senator, for Bizaon’s possible appointment to a Cabinet post, a Malacañang official said on Thursday.
Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. disclosed this during a chance interview at the House of Representatives after a hearing on the Office of the President’s budget.

“I understand that the President and Ruffy talked but I am not at liberty to disclose the conclusion of the meeting,” he told reporters.

Ochoa’s statement seemed to confirm earlier reports that Biazon, a former lawmaker representing Muntinlupa City (Metro Manila), would replace embattled Bureau of Customs chief Angelito Alvarez.
Ruffy Biazon is a son of former senator and now Rep. Rodolfo Biazon of Muntinlupa City.

Alvarez has been under fire over 1,910 container vans that were declared missing, resulting in P240 million in lost revenues for the government.

“I would not want to comment on that [Ruffy Biazon’s appointment] yet because there is no document that definitely says that he has been appointed. Let us wait for the right time for it. But we all know (Ruffy)  Biazon. He is a good guy,” Ochoa said.

Should Ruffy Biazon’s appointment push through, he will be the third Liberal Party (LP) candidate to be appointed to the Cabinet after losing in last year’s May elections.

Former Sen. Manuel Roxas 2nd, who lost the race for Vice President to former Mayor Jejomar Binay of Makati City (also in Metro Manila), was appointed secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications last June.

Losing LP bet for senator Nereus Acosta was appointed Presidential Adviser for Environmental Protection on Wednesday.

Former Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Liwayway Chato is rumored to be the next Customs chief.

Nothing official
But another Malacañang official on Thursday belied rumors of Alvarez leaving the Cabinet.
The Customs chief himself said that he has no plans of leaving his post.

“Tinext ko po kay Pangulo iyong tanong ng Malacañang Press Corps kahapon at sabi niya he is not aware of any resignation on that part. So hindi ko po alam kung anong susunod na decision ni Pangulong Aquino [I texted the question from the Malacañang Press Corps on the resignation of Secretary Alvarez yesterday (Wednesday) and he told me that he is not aware of that matter. So I don’t know what will be the next decision of President Aquino],” spokesman Edwin Lacierda said during a press briefing also on Thursday.

He added that he was yet to confirm with Mr. Aquino reports that the President plans to replace Alvarez.

“Kahapon kasi maugong iyong baliting nagbitiw na si Lito Alvarez at papalitan ni Ruffy Biazon [News of Alvarez getting replaced by Ruffy Biazon was getting much attention yesterday (Wednesday)]. I’ll ask the President for a categorical statement on that point,” Lacierda said.

But Alvarez himself also on Thursday denied that he was resigning as head of the Customs bureau.
In the wake of the filing of charges against consignees and brokers allegedly involved in the disappearance of the 1,910 container vans before the Department of Justice also on Thursday, he said that he would continue to serve under the administration of President Aquino.

“I will serve with humility and integrity until such time that the President will tell me to stop because there is already a replacement on board,” Alvarez added.

He  said that he was not planning to resign as Customs chief because he would not want to make his detractors happy, adding that his action against smugglers has spawned a demolition job against him.

Llanesca T. Panti, Maria Nikka U. Garriga and Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz