CEBU - The Regional Trial Court has ordered the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group to explain why it failed to turn over the 18 suspected smuggled vehicles it seized from a warehouse in Mandaue City seven months ago to the Bureau of Customs.
The order was issued by RTC Branch 9 Judge Geraldine Faith Econg after she noted that no case has been filed until now against Michael Nengasca, owner of the Song Pa Trading Warehouse located along Sacris Road in Mandaue City.
Econg, who issued the search warrant against Negasca that the PASG-7 used as basis in the raid of the warehouse last April 19, specifically ordered deputy chief Ricardo Collantes to explain.
Econg said Collantes should explain why he failed to turn over the seized vehicles to the BOC within the reasonable time.
Sources said that Collantes wanted to turn over the seized cars to the court which issued the search warrant after it failed to file a case against Nengasca.
Econg ordered an inventory of the seized vehicles, which remain in the custody of PASG, last Monday and found out that two of these were already missing.
Lawyer Chevin Vasquez, RTC Branch 9 clerk of court, said that based on the return of the search warrant, the two vehicles on the list could not be accounted for. These are the Starex Van and a Hyundai V6 luxury vehicle.
Vasquez said that they also noted during the inventory that most of the vehicles appeared to have been cannibalized. According to Vasquez, some vehicles did not anymore have tires, stereo, windshield, air-conditioning and even engine.
Vasquez said that they are not, however, sure if these were the conditions of these vehicles during when PASG seized them. Vasquez said that Econg has ordered another inventory by the PASG with their presence.
The PASG-7 earlier seized the vehicles from Nengasca’s warehouse claiming that these were illegally imported. The seizure was based on the search warrant issued by Econg for alleged violation of the Executive Order 156, which bans the importation of used vehicles. —
Fred P. Languido/LPM (THE FREEMAN)