Sunday, April 20, 2008 18 'hot' cars seized in raid By Elias O. Baquero Sun.Star Staff Reporter
A JOINT team from the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) and the police’s Regional Intelligence Office raided a firm in Mandaue City yesterday and seized 18 Korean-made vehicles that were allegedly smuggled.
PASG-Cebu Assistant Director Jojo Collantes told Sun.Star Cebu that the cars-–several units of Kia Rio, Hyundai Sonata and Kia Sportage-–were taken from Song Pa Motors Trading and were brought to the customs area of the Cebu International Port.
Collantes said the cars have plate numbers issued by the Land Transportation Office (LTO). The plates, however, turned out to have been issued for other vehicles.
The team that conducted the raid was armed with a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Geraldine Faith Econg last Friday.
Before yesterday morning’s raid, Song Pa Motors, located at Gate 3 of Sacris Extension, Mandaue City, was placed under surveillance on orders of PASG-Cebu Director Ariel Palcuto.
Collantes said verification with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) revealed that Song Pa Motors is registered as a motorcycle retailer under the name of a certain Michael Mengasca.
Mengasca reportedly admitted that he is only an employee of three Korean nationals, who are the real owners of the company and who refused to give their names during the raid. If this is true, the Koreans may be charged for violating the Anti-Dummy Law.
An ABS-CBN report said Song Pa lawyer Danilo Go will present documents tomorrow to prove that his client’s business is legitimate.
Collantes said this is the first time PASG-Cebu seized vehicles in violation of Executive Order 156 issued by President Arroyo in 2003, which prohibits the importation of used vehicles.
The Arroyo order was declared valid by the Supreme Court in a ruling in 2006.
Meanwhile, DTI 7 Director Asteria Caberte said that since the company is registered as motorcycle retailer, it cannot deal cars. Otherwise, it will be a case of misrepresentation.
“Misrepresentation could merit the cancellation of its accreditation with DTI”, Caberte said.
LTO 7 Director Raul Aguilos said that if the number plates attached to the seized vehicles are genuine, then Song Pa could be liable for illegal transfer of plates from one vehicle to another.
Aguilos said his office can trace the real owners of the vehicle number plates.
He said illegal transfer of number plates carries an administrative fine of P6,000 and may reach P15,000 if the plates are also covered with fake documents.
Director Geronimo Rosas of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) 7, for his part, said that if it is true that the real owners of Song Pa Motors are Koreans, they can face deportation.
Rosas said smuggling is a form of economic sabotage which is a ground for deportation for the foreigner involved.
