PASG, NBI agents raid P'sinan mayor's bodega

LABRADOR, Pangasinan – Joint elements of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Dagupan City swooped down the other day on a warehouse of the mayor of Labrador town here on the strength of a mission order.

The PASG-NBI team placed under verification several imported cars, motorcycles, big bikes and scooters which, based on information, were allegedly smuggled into the country.

Lawyer Dave Alunan, executive officer of NBI-Dagupan and operations officer for Region 1 of PASG, told The STAR their mission order to inspect the warehouse was signed by PASG chief Undersecretary Antonio Villar Jr.

The team found used vehicles such as a Mitsubishi Eclipse model 1998 (worth about P300,000), a Isuzu Bighorn Wagon model 1994 (P300,000), a Mercedes Benz model 207 (P400,000), five assorted big bikes and dirt motorcycles (P10,000 each), eight scooters (P5,000 each), and 15 mountain bikes (P2,000 each).

The GIA Trading under the name of Guillermo Acain was the subject of the mission order, but Mayor Ernesto Acain admitted that he is the real owner of the warehouse, Alunan said.

Alunan said the mayor owns some of the items found in the bodega while the others are for sale. The mayor was the one who gave the estimated worth of the items.

The Acain brothers showed documents of ownership of the items which they allegedly purchased from other people.

The items were brought to the NBI office in Dagupan City for further verification with the government agencies concerned, Alunan said.

While the vehicles purportedly owned by the mayor have documents of ownership, no papers showing payment of Customs duties were shown to the PASG-NBI team, Alunan said.

The mayor, meanwhile, failed to show documents of ownership for the bikes and motorcycles, but he assured the team that he would produce the necessary papers in a few days, Alunan said.

Alunan said they gave the mayor three days to do so.

The Acain brothers voluntarily surrendered the items to PASG-NBI team.

In the meantime, Alunan said the Acain brothers will be placed under investigation and if evidence warrants, will be prosecuted.

In an interview with Bombo Radyo Dagupan, Mayor Acain said he has nothing to hide and is ready to present the necessary documents.

“It’s okay with me. I’m not hiding anything,” he said.