Unfazed by efforts to derail the group's anti-smuggling drive, the newly-formed Customs Enforcement Group (EG) remains upbeat to curb illegal smuggling that would help the government generate much-needed revenues.

“We are just doing our job and carrying out the mandate of the Enforcement Group. If in our crusade we step on sensitives, so be it,” Customs Deputy Commissioner for Enforcement Horacio Suansing Jr. said Saturday.

Suansing turned the tables on vested interest groups allegedly behind attempts to destroy his reputation for neutralizing several consignees of misdeclared or undervalued shipments in the past months.

The Customs EG had earlier foiled an attempt to smuggle some P40-million worth of imported onions, Peking duck and beef meat at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) as its first major haul.

The group seized two container vans of various endangered species of narra at P7-million aboard the vessel "Hai Sheng 789.”

Suansing said he is now a subject of a demolition job as certain news reports questioned his appointment to head the EG despite his performance as Port of Manila (PoM) district collector.

He decried as “malicious and baseless” reports that aimed to discredit his recent visits to provincial ports where he inspected the sorry state of police station facilities there. “No matter what these people do, they won't stop us from curbing illegal smuggling,” Suansing said.

Customs observers said Suansing could have stumbled on some big-time smugglers and they are making him pay for the seizure of their smuggled goods.

President Arroyo appointed Suansing last January as the new Customs deputy commissioner as replacement of retired Intelligence and Enforcement Group (IEG) chief Celso Templo.

She dissolved the IEG and created two separate offices for intelligence and enforcement.

Prior to his appointment, he was recognized by the Bureau of Customs (BoC) as “Model District Collector of the Year” after PoM under his watch exceeded its target by P1.058 billion or 2.4 percent positive deviation in 2008.