THE PRESIDENTIAL Anti-Smuggling Task Force Group (PASG) yesterday told the House of representatives that six Cebu-based people have been linked to car smuggling operations.

The names of these people, however, have been kept confidential and were submitted to Malacañang, said Antonio Villar, chief of the PASG.

?All these (smuggled) cars that are being registered here in Manila (are) usually coming from Cebu,? he said. ?(And it?s) very alarming that even the chassis can be registered as a whole. It?s already a car when in fact, they?re just paying for the parts alone.?

Asked if the suspected smugglers were in cahoots with any government officials, the PASG chief they had received some information to that effect, but there was no ?direct evidence? to confirm it.

Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, South District) challenged Villar to file a case against the six Cebu-based smugglers.

He said that it was not enough to just submit names to Malacañang.

?They should file a case to set an example, ? Cuenco said after Villar finished his report to the House committee on good government.

Cuenco, a member of the committee, said he was aware that there were many smugglers based in Cebu, yet no one has been slapped with a case.

He said the committee would ask Malacañang for a copy of PASG?s report so that the names could be made public.

Rep. Pedro Romualdo (Camigiun), chairman of the committee on good government, said that the committee has a right to know the smugglers are so that their activities could be stopped.

Romualdo said he also needed to know if PASG had already filed a case against the smugglers.

?It?s said that they already filed a case, but nothing is clear, that?s why we need to obtain a copy of their report to Malacanang,? Romualdo said.

The committee, Romualdo said was also waiting for officials of the Land Transportation (LTO) to submit documents pertaining to the registration of vehicles suspected to be smuggled.

He said the documents were needed to continue the House inquiry on car smuggling.

Presidential Management Staff Head Cerge Remonde said he hoped that the inquiry would help eradicate smuggling in the country.

He said that the President has already given PASG blanket authority to stop smugglers, ?where ever they are and whoever they are,? Remonde said in a text message.

Answering general queries about smuggling in the country, Villar said the government is losing P65 billion annually from smuggling.

He said the five most smuggled commodities into the country are oil, resins, iron, general merchandise, and cars.

Villar said other often-smuggled products, such as oil, come from Singapore, Malaysia, and China.

Most smuggled resins also comes from Singapore.

Villar?s appearance in the House hearing yesterday was his first after ignoring several summons, forcing lawmakers to threaten him with arrest if he did not comply.

Congressmen particularly wanted to ask him about his statements to the media that some lawmakers were involved in smuggling.

Rep. Maria Milagros Magsaysay (Zambales) and Rep. Al Francis Bichara (Albay) confronted Villar, who denied calling either of them or any other congressman a smuggler or protector of smugglers.

He said the media misquoted him.

Bichara chided Villar for calling him names in the media after he was implicated as the owner of a smuggled car confiscated during a PASG operation.

At the start of the hearing, Rep. Mark Cojuangco (Pangasinan) appealed to his colleagues in the committee to give Villar the ?courtesy and due respect? accorded to House resource persons.

Cojuangco admitted that he had advised the PASG chief to attend the House inquiry if only to defuse any tension on the issue.

?He (Villar) has no intention to spite the power of the House, of this committee.... My hope is that we could defuse the tensions that we?ve raised,? Cojuangco said.

Villar repeatedly snubbed the inquiry, and had even threatened to resign from his post, accusing some legislators of harassment. /Inquirer with Reporter Nilda Gallo