Thursday, April 24, 2008
6 top smugglers
By Elias O. Baquero
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
MANILA – The Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) has identified six “big-time” Cebu-based vehicle smugglers and is already building a strong case against them.
Undersecretary Antonio Villar Jr., PASG chief, yesterday submitted to the House of Representatives’ committee on good government a list of the suspected smugglers.
But Rep. Pedro Romualdo, committee chairman, withheld disclosing the names until such time that they are formally charged in court.
Villar said those in the list have invested heavily in the illegal trade and are using dummies and fictitious names as consignees to avoid detection and prosecution.
He said this is the reason the PASG was able to charge in court only 11 Bureau of Customs (BOC) personnel, two Land Transportation Office (LTO) officials, and 16 private individuals they found in cahoots with smugglers.
Villar said the six persons are responsible for sneaking into the country sports utility vehicles (SUVs) such as Toyota Prados, Nissan Teranos, Mitsubishi Pajeros and Kia Starexs; and luxury cars such as BMWs, Ferraris, Mercedes Benzs, Volvos and Lamborghinis.
Responding to the question of Rep. Roilo Golez (Parañaque), Villar said the top smuggled items are vehicles, plastic resins, steel, general merchandise, and oil.
Asked by Rep. Pablo John Garcia (Cebu, 3rd district), Villar said the six smugglers are operating in Cebu and Central Visayas. The list, Villar added, does not include those in other ports of the country.
“In so far as these six Cebu smugglers are concerned, do you also have information as to any government officials who might be protecting them”, Garcia further asked.
“We don’t have any direct evidence, your honor, but we are receiving reports that some government officials are protecting smugglers,” Villar replied.
Garcia said that since the committee already spent quite a number of hearings on the vehicle smuggling issue, they are now moving toward legislating measures to address the problem.
“Where do you think the weakness in the system lies? Is it in the (BOC) or (the LTO) or any other government agency? What do you think is the weakest link in so far as prevention of smuggling is concerned?” he said, addressing Villar.
“It starts with the (BOC), and then the LTO,” Villar said, adding that both offices were lenient in doing their jobs.
“The smugglers have the vehicles registered with the LTO and there are certificates of payment issued by the Bureau of Customs. That is connivance, your honor,” he said.
Villar believes there is a vehicle-smuggling-and-registration syndicate in Central Visayas.
“As a matter of fact, cars that were registered in Manila usually came from Cebu. The owners of the vehicles are living in Manila and they got their units from Cebu. That’s very alarming,” he said.
Villar added that even certificates of payment for engine and chassis numbers can be used to register vehicles as whole units so that importers just pay duties and taxes for the parts alone.
The PASG chief admitted that vehicle smuggling happens all over the country, and that they cannot really determine if it is more rampant in Cebu or in other places.
This led Garcia to assume that the PASG is just focusing on Cebu so Cebu is getting the “fantastic figures” in terms of smuggled vehicles.
“Talking about figures, Cebu has the highest (number of smuggling vehicles),” Villar said.
With Villar during the hearing were several PASG personnel, including Guillermo Francia, director for operations, and Edmund Arugay, operations chief.
Villar’s appearance yesterday averted the issuance of a warrant of arrest by the committee for contempt after he failed to appear during the December 2007, Feb. 6, Feb. 13, and March 5, 2008 hearings.
Deputy Speaker Raul del Mar told Villar that he should not worry about the inquiry because he was only a resource person and was not even under investigation.
Del Mar advised him not to be apprehensive about the committee invitation because they just want to ferret out the truth.
Before the committee grilled Villar, Rep. Mark Cojuangco of Tarlac delivered a short message vouching for the latter’s integrity as a public official.
Customs officials, including Commissioner Napoleon Morales, Deputy Commissioner Reynaldo Umali, District Collector Ricardo Belmonte and Port of Cebu Assistant Assessment Chief Florante Ricarte, were also present during the hearing.
In the same hearing, Arugay said that of the 1,151 SUVs and luxury cars registered in LTO-Toledo City, Cebu, 300 units are owned by people from Metro Manila.
Arugay submitted to Romualdo the list of vehicles with the corresponding owners, but did not furnish another copy to anybody else because Assistant Secretary Alberto Suansing, who gave them the certificates of registration and official receipts, considered it confidential.
Del Mar, though, questioned the so-called confidentially because the documents, including the list of smugglers and the vehicle registration, do not involve national security.
Romualdo said that in the next hearing, he will require the LTO to explain why the documents are considered confidential.
If the explanation will not satisfy the congressmen, Romualdo said, the committee will make it public.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 24, 2008 issue)
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