Rody leads wreckage of smuggled cars

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte yesterday witnessed the destruction of several smuggled luxury vehicles worth more than P61 million and ordered the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to meet its target so that the government would have enough funds for projects.

The condemnation of the smuggled vehicles coincided with the 116th anniversary of the BOC, an agency that Duterte once described as one of the most corrupt in government. 

A total of 30 used luxury vehicles were crushed by a bulldozer during the event, 20 of them in the Port of Manila. Seven of the smuggled vehicles were condemned in the Port of Davao while three were destroyed in the Port of Cebu. 

The condemned vehicles in Port of Manila were a Lexus ES300 1996, BMW Alpina, a used Honda Odyssey, mini Pajero, Mazda Roadster, Mitsubishi MMC, Toyota SW Towage Noah, Corvette Stingray, 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550, Ford Explorer Base 3.5L, a used Nissan 350Z, 1995 Mercedes-Benz C280, BMW 745, BMW 745Li, Hyundai Equus JS350, Audi A6 CUATRO, BMW Z4, Jaguar Type S and two units of Pajero. 

The cars destroyed in Davao were a Toyota Tundra, Mercedes-Benz 2012 model, two units of brand new Toyota Land Cruiser L200, a brand new Mercedes-Benz, and two units of brand new Toyota Land Cruiser V8 2013 while the vehicles condemned in Cebu were an AudiS5, 2012 Jeep Wrangler and a Mercedes-Benz CLK 350. 

Duterte said he ordered the destruction of the vehicles to prevent syndicates and smugglers from buying them at a lower price during an auction.

He also promised to buy the scrap metal and to distribute them to steel sellers.

“If there is a liability there, I will pay. However small, it is still a thing of value. There is no problem. I will pay for it,” the President said.  

In the same event, Duterte ordered the Customs bureau to intensify its collection efforts and to meet its revenue targets.

“Much remains to be done. The BOC needs to  improve its overall revenue collection to meet its target so that the government will have more funds for its priority development programs,” the President said. 

Duterte also called for an end to smuggling and corruption as he warned officials involved in the illegal acts that he would not allow them to escape liability. 

“Not during my watch, not during my time... Stop at least during my time,” the President said.

The cars that were worth millions have now been reduced to scrap and their value reduced to around P48,000, said BOC deputy commissioner Edward James Dy Buco.

The cars, with an estimated weight of four tons each, was no match to the 20-ton D6 bulldozer that crushed them.

However, contrary to earlier reports that  McLaren, Lamborghini and Ferrari sports cars would be among those to be destroyed, Dy Buco said “these cars were not included since they are still undergoing litigation.” 

As directed by Duterte, all luxury vehicles that have been forfeited and abandoned at the different ports would be condemned. 

Meanwhile, Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña revealed that a total of 641 officials and employees were reshuffled to provincial ports last year while in the beginning of this year there were 139 personnel reassigned to other posts.

BOC has also filed administrative charges against 21 employees, two of whom were dismissed while 16 were suspended due to alleged wrongdoing.  – With Evelyn Macairan