Monday, June 09, 2008 Mongaya: Collateral damage By Anol Mongaya Panahom
THE congressional inquiry into car smuggling in Cebu is formally over. But though several quarters like Dodo Cuenco of the Cebu car dealers group remained unsatisfied with the results because of the inability to name big-time smugglers, the inquiry practically stopped the flow of smuggled cars through the port of Cebu. The competition of cheap luxury cars to the expensive units sold by Cada members is practically wiped out. I don’t know though if this has translated into higher sales for legitimate units considering the runaway rise in fuel costs.
Arman Perez of Bayan Muna, meanwhile, has taken issue with the apparent foot-dragging of the Visayas ombudsman in cases filed against LTO officials who figured in the alleged illegal registration of luxury vehicles. To recall, Bayan Muna produced a list of 40 luxury vehicles registered in Cebu but carrying plates from Metro Manila.
Unfortunately, the war against the smuggling of luxury cars had its collateral damage. It also reduced to a minimum the once flourishing business of assembling and selling multicabs. While customs brokers with multicab assemblers as clients succeeded in getting the necessary legal justifications for the continued importation of these “mini trucks” and its parts, doing so has become more expensive. Worse, the red tape for the registration of multicabs has become grown and more costly.
Without statistics particular to this business at hand, I can only imagine the adverse economic effects. Just consider the loss of livelihood for a number of assemblers, dealers, including their army of mechanics. Small-time Cebu entrepreneurs, who relied on multicabs for transporting goods, are not interested in the expensive vehicles of Cada members.
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Now on his third term, Rep. Tony Cuenco (Cebu City, south district) has been telling friends he is eyeing a possible foreign affairs seat. Still, the congressman’s moves are worth a close watch since he manages to figure himself in local issues closely followed by media. For example, he played a key role in the just-concluded congressional inquiry into car smuggling in Cebu that has been hugging front pages of local dailies since late last year.
Local journalists also kept a close watch on his falling out with Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
The absence of a Cuenco heir in the 2010 congressional race in Cebu City’s south district has stirred City Council stalwarts of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) to consider a House seat.
One possible contender is Councilor Gerry Carillo, the maverick BO-PK legislator from the huge Abella clan, who is reportedly eyeing the post. I learned this from his brother Ildebrando “Ilde” Carillo, who accompanied the bands Suburbia and Urban Fuzion during a mini-concert at the Upper B. Rodriguez Residents Association basketball court beside Larsian-Fuente Saturday night. With Ilde’s help, the fiesta celebration culminated with a bang. Incidentally, the guy is also a potential BO-PK council bet.
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The signing of the Cheaper Medicines Act by President Arroyo is a relief amid increasing prices of fuel, PUJ fare, rice and even education. The prices of food alone jumped 14.3 percent from last month. This wiped out supposed benefits of the recent measly increase in the minimum salary.
Sen. Mar Roxas who championed cheaper medicines advocacy since his first term at the Senate said the new law now has teeth in getting giant multinational corporations to reduce prices of medicines. We all know that medicines sold in other countries are way cheaper than the ones sold here.
For so long, consumers have been subsidizing the huge profits of the multinational corporations as well as the perks doctors enjoy for prescribing branded drugs.
