Har Customs

Sen. Santiago wants Customs control over cars in free ports By Efren L. Danao Senior Reporter Even with controversies hounding the Bureau of Customs, Sen. Miriam DefensorSantiago is proposing that foreign cars shipped to free ports now be placed under the jurisdiction of the bureau. “There is no substantial reason for the exemption from Customs jurisdiction of free ports, particularly on motor vehicles, because the exemption breeds car smuggling,” she said. Santiago made this proposal shortly after Customs destroyed 18 smuggled vehicles at the Subic Freeport on orders of President Arroyo. The destroyed cars had been shipped to Subic and were later declared abandoned as the consignees denied ownership. Santiago reminded everyone that the Customs Code provides that the bureau shall have the right of supervision and police authority over all ports. “But this general provision has been amended by special laws constituting the charter of free ports throughout the country, thus creating a vast network of smuggling enclaves for motor vehicles,” she added. Santiago asked for a Senate inventory of motor vehicles shipped into free-port zones. This should match the inventory of the vehicles remaining in the zones. “If the latter is subtracted from the former, then the public will have an idea of the high degree of car smuggling in those free-port zones,” she said. Yet, she questioned the Customs bureau’s “lack of transparency” in setting the floor prices of smuggled vehicles sold at auction. She questioned why the present system allows smugglers to buy back their own smuggled vehicles. Santiago believes that the creation of the Presidential Antismuggling Task Force cannot solve the perennial problem of car smuggling. “In reality, the task force could merely serve as another level of corruption and could merely become another problem instead of the solution to car smuggling,” she explained.