PASG chief is new head of Task Force Subic

The chief of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG), Undersecretary for Local Governance Antonio Villar Jr., is now the head of Task Force Subic by virtue of Executive Order 687 signed by President Arroyo.

Villar, in an interview with The STAR yesterday, vowed to pursue a more vigorous anti-smuggling drive in Subic Bay Freeport while expressing his gratitude to the Chief Executive.

“I am very grateful to the President for her trust and confidence in me and the PASG as a whole. I hope I could match her expectations,” he said.

Villar furnished The STAR with a copy of the EO signed by the President on Dec. 28, 2007 after he formally took his oath in a concurrent capacity the other day.

Task Force Subic was created under Executive Order 384 to prevent and suppress smuggling and other related practices against customs laws at the Subic Bay Freeport and all areas under the jurisdiction of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

Under EO 687, large-scale smuggling and customs fraud and other related practices were deemed to undermine the economy and national security.

“There is a need to closely supervise the activities of Task Force Subic so as to effectively curtail smuggling and other related practices against customs laws at the Subic Bay Freeport and all areas under jurisdiction of the SBMA,” the order said.

The order, which will take effect immediately, has placed Task Force Subic under the supervision of the PASG.

Although there were a lot of aspirants for the position following the death of its head, retired general Jose Calimlim, late last year, Villar said he only learned the President wanted him to take over the post after Christmas.

“I didn’t announce it yet even after I talked with the President until I have already with me the EO,” he added.

He said he did his job without fear or favor, consequently bringing in more than P3 billion in taxes to the government’s coffers in barely seven months of PASG’s operation.

PASG after Revillame car

Meanwhile, the PASG is set to seize a luxury vehicle of popular TV game show host Willie Revillame after it found yesterday that the taxes on the imported car have not been fully paid.

Villar said they are going after a 2006 model Ferrari owned by Revillame after securing a copy of the vehicle’s documents from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and finding out that the vehicle had underpaid duties and taxes.

“When we verified it with the Bureau of Customs (BOC), they had no such record. The car was from Cebu,” Villar said in an interview.

The PASG chief further said they have already pinpointed the location of the vehicle and are set to seize it as soon as possible.