Inquiry fails to prove car smuggling in Cebu

MANILA — The House of Representatives committee on good government yesterday concluded its inquiry but failed to establish proof of the alleged rampant car smuggling in Cebu.

The committee, chaired by Camiguin’s Rep. Pedro Romualdo, however found that a problem lies on the issuance of car plates, prompting it to propose instead an amendment to a provision of the Land Transportation Code on the matter, and three more amendments to provisions of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines.

Cebuano lawmakers, however, hit the committee of putting Cebu in the heat over smuggling allegations. Cebu third district Rep. Pablo John Garcia, for one, told the committee that the inquiry was done without establishing the allegation of Cebu Auto Dealers Association (CADA) that smuggling of cars in Cebu was rampant as to need the immediate attention by the lawmaking body.

“There’s no truth then that there’s rampant car smuggling in Cebu,” said Garcia, adding that the reported “over-registration” of vehicles in the Land Transportation Office in Toledo does not establish the truth of the allegations that there have been smuggling of vehicles via the Bureau of Customs-Port of Cebu.

Cebu City north district Rep. Raul del Mar agreed with Garcia’s observation, saying that it does not follow that, based on the record presented by CADA about the registration of 6,000 vehicles, there is smuggling in Cebu.

Del Mar said the committee found out that these smuggled cars registered in Cebu passed through different major ports, mostly from the Ports of Manila and Subic “The LTO just registered the cars. But it does not follow that they all came from the Port of Cebu,” he said.

Both Garcia and del Mar said some cars were registered in other places but the issuance of plates were done in LTO-Toledo City.

Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City’s south district) however said the committee succeeded in meeting its objective because it was able to come up with a proposal to change a provision of the Land Transportation Code, specifically on the issuance of plates.

Southern Leyte Rep. Andres Salvacion, a former customs collector, said the committee was able to solve smuggling problems not only in Cebu and Manila but also in other places where smuggling is said to be openly done.

Committee chairman Romualdo said the proposed amendment is more logical because it would prohibit the issuance and release of the car plates by any LTO district office other than the LTO office where the cars are to be registered.

Meanwhile, Department of Justice’s lawyer Zebedin Asis, after being lambasted due to the department’s worm-pace investigation of smuggling charges, assured the committee of changes in the procedure to speed up the probe and prosecution of smuggling-related cases.

Yesterday’s hearing was done to wrap up the proposed legislative actions vis-à-vis the alleged smuggling of all other commodities other than vehicles, Cuenco said. Besides the proposed amendment to the Land Transportation Code, three proposed legislation were for amending some provisions of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines.

A House bill wanted that the final valuation of imported goods, using prevailing world market prices as benchmark in the payment of duties and taxes, will be published in a newspaper of general circulation. — John Rey Saavedra/RAE