GMA vows to pursue cases vs smugglers
President Arroyo defended yesterday her decision to destroy smuggled luxury vehicles seized by the government at the Subic Bay Freeport, which has been widely criticized by various sectors.
In a statement, the President said the government would still pursue the cases against the smugglers even after the vehicles were destroyed last Thursday.
“Crushing smuggled cars doesn’t mean that we are quashing the cases filed against those who tried to illegally bring them in,” the President said.
“On the contrary, their prosecution will be pursued in earnest. They will not be allowed to redeem other cars that may be auctioned through their paid proxies. Not only will they be barred from future auctions, they will also be put behind bars,” she added.
The President made the decision to destroy the luxury vehicles seized in
Several parties, including allies of the President, were apprehensive about the destruction of the vehicles, which were supposed to include five high-end sports cars.
A number of politicians criticized the President’s decision, saying the government could have gained more by auctioning the vehicles rather than turning them into junk.
It was estimated that the 18 vehicles destroyed last Thursday could have brought in around P30 million in revenues for the government.
However, Mrs. Arroyo said the vehicles, if auctioned, could very well end up in the hands of the smugglers themselves through their paid proxies, thus negating the entire campaign to fight smuggling.
While the vehicles crushed by backhoes were considerably expensive, the even more costly sports cars such as the Porsche, Lamborghini and Ferrari were spared because of supposed legal impediments.
Finance Secretary Margarito Teves said the government would continue the destruction of smuggled vehicles.
He said the government loses as much as P64 billion to P65 billion annually from smuggling.
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