Customs exec in Cagayan de Oro goes on 30-day leave over ‘hot’ bikes, cars

MANILA, Philippines – A Customs collector assigned to a sub-port in Cagayan de Oro has filed for a 30-day leave of absence to give way to a query arising from the alleged entry of hot cars and luxury motorcycles in his area of responsibility, according to Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez.

Alvarez said Friday that Lowell Medija, district collector of the Mindanao International Container Terminal in Cagayan de Oro, went on voluntary leave so as not to influence an investigation against him.

“[He] was very gentleman about it, saying that if there is a suspicion of wrongdoing on his part, he is willing to face an investigation,” said Alvarez, adding that lawyer, Ernilito Aquino has been appointed to temporarily take his place at the MICT.

While Medija is facing an investigation at the Office of the Ombudsman following charges over unexplained wealth filed previously by the Department of Finance-Revenue Integrity Protection Service, Alvarez has also ordered the bureau’s Internal Inquiry and Prosecution Division to conduct its own investigation.

Customs Deputy Commissioner for Enforcement Horacio Suansing and Enforcement Security Service Director Nestorio Gualberto have been put in charge of the investigation, he added.

In published reports, Cagayan de Oro Representative Jose Benjamin Benaldo called for a lifestyle check on Mejia, whom he suggested may be living beyond his means.

The call came following the discovery of alleged 29 smuggled luxury cars and big bikes that may have entered undetected through seaports in Cagayan de Oro.

But Lynard Allan Bigcas, a luxury vehicle dealer who faced an inquiry at the House of Representatives, admitted that he brought into the country “chop-chop” parts of expensive motorbikes in “balikbayan boxes” through the door-to-door system, avoiding the payment of customs duties.