A bulldozer runs over some of the smuggled, used luxury cars at the Bureau of Customs compound in Manila. —JOAN BONDOC
President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday witnessed the destruction of 30 smuggled mostly used luxury vehicles, including a Jaguar, a BMW, a Lexus and a Corvette, during the Bureau of Customs (BOC) 116th anniversary.
None of the cars, however, were Lamborghinis or Ferraris that BOC officials had earlier confiscated.
Deputy Customs Commissioner Edward James Dy Buco said the other cars were still “being processed and under litigation” before they would be destroyed.
Twenty high-end vehicles, worth at least P61 million, were destroyed by a bulldozer at the BOC grounds in Manila.
In the ports of Cebu and Davao, 10 other smuggled vehicles were simultaneously destroyed.
The destruction of the vehicles was a departure from the usual process of putting smuggled vehicles up for auction to generate additional revenue for the government.
Antismuggling tactic
Mr. Duterte earlier announced that seized high-end vehicles would be condemned to prevent car enthusiasts from simply buying the smuggled cars in BOC auctions and paying even less money for these.
The BOC released this list of cars destroyed on Tuesday— Port of Manila: One used Lexus ES300 1996 model, one used BMW Alpina, one used Honda Odyssey, one used mini Pajero, one used Mazda Roadster, one used Mitsubishi MMC, one used Toyota SW Towage Noah, one used Corvette Stingray, one used Mercedes Benz S550 2007 model, one used Ford Explorer Base 3.5L, one used Nissan 350Z, one used BMW 745, one used BMW 745Li, one used Hyundai Equus JS350, one used Audi A6 Quattro, one used BMW Z4 sports car, one used Jaguar Type S, and two units of used Mitsubishi Pajeros.
At the port of Cebu, destroyed were one used 2012 Jeep Wrangler, one used Audi S5 and one used Mercedes Benz CLK 350, a sports car.