Smuggling menace

Our automotive industry, unfortunately, still suffers from the effects of vehicle smuggling. This hampers CAMPI companies sales—and puts off foreigninvestors interested in coming to the Philippines to open new manufacturing facilities sales.

Ford Group Philippines president Henry Co has been reported to say that smuggling of mainly used vehicles still undermines the viability of the Philippine automotive industry. Smuggling therefore also takes away jobs. He specifically mentions the Subic Bay Freeport as a smuggling point.

In 2006, as a result of CAMPI’s efforts, the Supreme Court decided to affirm a lower court decision declaring the entry of used vehicles from abroad illegal. Despite the High Court’s ruling smuggling continues.

It does not speak well of the quality of Philippine governance.

CAMPI’s members could very well produce 200,000 new cars a year. They can’t go full blast—and employ thousands more workers—if the most they can hope for is 108,000 with small increments every year.

Like so many other corrupt practices in our country, smuggling of vehicles simply has to stop.
Manila Times