EDITORIAL - Smuggling in Mindanao

Customs officials are said to be looking into reports that 34 brand-new luxury vehicles smuggled through Mindanao ports are now in Metro Manila. The vehicles, misdeclared as motor vehicle parts, were reportedly brought in from Italy and the United Arab Emirates between Dec. 31, 2013 and Feb. 8 this year through Cagayan de Oro and its sub-ports, the Mindanao Container Terminal in Misamis Oriental and in Ozamis City.

The vehicles have an estimated value of P150 million. The huge profits from vehicle smuggling have ensured its survival through numerous crackdowns announced by every administration. Apart from battling outright smuggling, the government is locked in a legal tussle over whether technical smuggling exists in Cagayan.

In 2010, a Harley Davidson motorcycle valued at $80,000 was stolen from the Houston, Texas home of a Hollywood screenwriter. The vehicle turned up a year later at the home of car trader Lynard Allan Bigcas in Bukidnon. Houston police said the stolen motorcycle was traced to a crime ring that smuggled US-made big bikes to Asia through Los Angeles and Mexico. Bigcas, according to some reports, was later seen driving the Harley Davidson in the streets of Cagayan de Oro.

The case should have led to greater vigilance against vehicle smuggling in the ports of Mindanao. Yet with 34 luxury vehicles brought in only a few months ago, it is clear that not enough has been done to stop the illegal activity.

The supply must be meeting a demand. And if there are buyers, the smugglers must have a way of passing off hot cars as legitimate. Any investigation of this case must include tracking down the source of vehicle registration papers from the Land Transportation Office.

Legitimate car dealers have complained for years about the unfair competition posed by smugglers. The dealers are still waiting for effective action from the government.