3 more car shops raided in QC

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City Police District raided three more car parts shops in Barangay Batasan Hills Wednesday as part of the QCPD’s crackdown on the sale of stolen car parts, an official said yesterday.

The items confiscated from RITZ and RC Motorcycle Parts and Accessories, MJI Auto Parts Surplus and Aklan Auto Shop amounted to around P200,000, according to QCPD deputy director for administration Senior Superintendent Joel Pagdilao.

He said the shop owners failed to present their business permits from the city government and the QCPD. Both documents are required under Presidential Decree 1612 or the Anti-Fencing Law.

QCPD director Senior Superintendent Richard Albano said the shops only presented copies of permits issued by village authorities.

“The police team decided to confiscate several items particularly articles that had no proof of legal acquisition,” Pagdilao said. Albano said among the items seized were mufflers, hubs, tires, tire mags, tail lights, fuel pumps, fuse boxes, hypertension wires, steering wheels, signal lights, wiper blades and hub cabs.

Chief Inspector Roderick Tonga, head of the QCPD’s Anti-Car Theft Section, said they were mulling possible cases to be filed against the owners of the shops.

Recently, the QCPD filed charges against 11 owners of shops in the vicinity of Banawe Avenue that were raided last month. Albano said these shops either did not have business permits from the local government or the police or failed to show proof of acquisition from their suppliers of the parts they were selling.

Police officials have been saying most stolen vehicles end up getting dismantled, with their spare parts getting sold to “surplus” shops to avoid being traced by authorities.