Crushing of cars at Subic just a circus

By Ramon Tulfo ON TARGET - Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- The crushing of 18 smuggled cars at the Subic Freeport was just for show, a circus.

Many were either shells of unused cars or were no longer in running condition, according to my sources at the Bureau of Customs.

If the government was really set in putting a stop to the smuggling of luxury vehicles, it shouldn’t have spared the cars in excellent condition like the Lamborghini, Porsche Cayenne, BMW and 14 other luxury cars.

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Why were the Lamborghini, Porsche Cayenne, BMW and the 14 other luxury cars spared from destruction?

The reason given was that they were the subjects of litigation as the owners had filed cases against the government so they could recover the cars.

That’s a lie, according to my customs sources. The real reason is that some of those cars were imported by persons very close to the powers that be.

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The government is giving too much attention to the smuggling of luxury cars at the Subic Freeport, and looking the other way in other ports.

The Port of Irene in Cagayan province and the Cebu port are other points where luxury cars are allegedly smuggled.

A close relative of a powerful politician is reportedly behind the smuggling of cars in one of the ports mentioned.