29 face raps over ‘hot’ luxury vehicles

A total of 29 persons were charged by the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) before the Office of the Ombudsman for their alleged involvement in the importation of luxury vehicles without paying the proper taxes and duties.

PASG chief Antonio Villar Jr. said Bureau of Customs (BOC) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) officials were among those charged by his office.

The case filed was in relation to the November 2007 operation conducted by the PASG at the warehouse of R33 Car Exchange Center in Quezon City.

Prior to the operation, the PASG went after a certain Angelito Hernandez of Philpan Subic Ventures Inc. for the importation of a 2005 Toyota XLS Avalon, which was misdeclared and undervalued so that only P40,511 in taxes and duties were paid.

According to the PASG, Hernandez should have paid a total of P268,549.23 to the government. The release of the vehicle was facilitated by Port of Manila Customs examiner Abdullah Basher and lawyer Maximo Reyes, the deputy collector for assessment of the BOC.

Villar noted that the case against Hernandez in the said undervalued vehicle led the PASG to the discovery of nine other luxury vehicles in the Quezon City warehouse.

Apart from Basher and Reyes, the other BOC officials charged before the Ombudsman were Elizabeth delas Llagas, deputy collector for assessment; Jamalodin Macadindang; Baltazar Morales, assessment division chief; Robert Millares, examiner; H.R. Hernandez, assessment division chief of the BOC in the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority; Kumar Buxani, examiner; Conrado Abarintos, assessment division chief of the BOC at the Port of Cebu; Alexander Cabagnot, examiner; and Ricardo Reluya, cash division chief.

Villar said the BOC officials violated the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines.

In the case of the LTO, the officials charged were registration section chief Merciditas Gutierrez and J.A. Saligbon, a verifier at the registration section.

Apart from Hernandez, the other importers of the luxury vehicles who were charged were Allan Legaspi of Philpan Subic Ventures, Inc.; Mary Anne Francisco, president or manager of Micro Base Transport Eqpt. Co. Inc.; Fritz Osales; Danilo Cruz of Cuts Intl. Corp.; Gloria Ronquillo; Rosita Daquil; Darius Israel de Perio; Consuelo Pingul of Dan Vill Forwarders; Raymond Ronquillo; Milagros Cano; and Joselito Polintan.

Villar said the charges ranged from violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act to the failure to report fraud.

He emphasized that the charges were filed only after an open and thorough investigation was conducted by the PASG. Villar expressed optimism that the Office of the Ombudsman will act swiftly in order to prevent similar violations in the future.