Friday, March 07, 2008 PASG chief 'quits' over probe By Elias O. Baquero Sun.Star Staff Reporter
MANILA—The House committee on good government will still summon Undersecretary Antonio Villar to the hearing on vehicle smuggling in Cebu, even if he resigns.
Villar was rumored to have resigned as chief of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) following criticisms of his failure, for the fourth time, to attend the hearing last March 5.
Rep. Mitos Magsaysay, who called Villar “arrogant” and “disrespectful,” delivered a privilege speech against the PASG chief the other day, said Deputy Speaker Raul del Mar.
Supt. Ariel Palcuto, PASG-Cebu director, did not confirm nor deny Villar’s resignation, but said he is going to Manila to meet with the undersecretary.
Rep. Antonio Cuenco, whose Resolution 320 sparked the investigation, said any civilian can be invited or summoned by the House of Representatives or the Senate if the need arises.
“Villar should answer criticisms against him and his group,” Cuenco said.
Cuenco added that Villar was the one who apprehended several luxury vehicles in Metro Manila and discovered that most of these were registered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Cebu.
Arrest looms
He should submit an investigation report to the House committee on good government or appear in the next hearing to give his testimony, Cuenco added.
Several congressmen, including Cuenco and Reps. Magsaysay (Zambales), Al Francis Bichara (Albay), Jose Solis (Sorsogon), Teofisto Guingona II (Misamis Oriental) and Roilo Golez (Parañaque) criticized Villar for making himself available for media interviews but failing to attend the hearings.
Golez told Sun.Star Cebu that Villar may be ordered arrested by the committee if he will still fail to attend the next hearing.
Rep. Pedro Romualdo, the committee chairman, said Villar might be afraid to appear in the investigation because lawmakers might confront him about press reports quoting him as saying that PASG has contributed more than P6 billion to the government.
Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales has said that since PASG was activated in July 2007, it only contributed about P13 million. The PASG budget is P50 million and not subject to audit because most of the expenses are considered intelligence activities.
Fake papers
Congressman Romualdo added that radio stations in Manila announced Villar has resigned, but he has yet to confirm this and if so, find out why.
Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary Alberto Suansing of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) informed Cuenco that during their random examination of vehicle registrations in Toledo City, they found out that several certificates of payment (CPs) of duties and taxes from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) were fake.
Port of Cebu District Collector Ricardo Belmonte said he will check on the matter.
In the meantime, Belmonte said they are reproducing 60,000 copies of CPs of engines, chassis and vehicles to be submitted to the committee, as ordered by Romualdo.
Romualdo said that his committee will invite Cebu importers and brokers of questionable shipments, based on the list that will be submitted by the Port of Cebu.
Del Mar suggested that smugglers and customs brokers involved in the shipment to Cebu of untaxed and prohibited vehicles must be identified too.
Del Mar was surprised to learn that while the committee is investigating vehicle smuggling, the smugglers continue their activities. He cited the recent interception of eight 40-footer vans containing 32 vehicles.
Cuenco is confident that the “influential and dangerous” protectors of smuggling, as mentioned by a columnist, will be identified if whistleblowers step forward.
