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NEWS

LTO...

THURSDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2008 | CEBU DAILY NEWS

Private sector ... from p.2

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portation and Communication (DOTC) raised the alarm when it reported that only two pickups were registered in Toledo for 2006 but the figure ballooned to 3,096 in 2007. In contrast, Padin told legislators during yesterday’s congressional inquiry that 6,703 motor vehicles were registered in Toledo in 2006. These include 1,824 cars, 2,420 SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicles) and 2,459 utility vehicles. But in 2007, the figure slightly declined to 6,617 . This consisted of 1,621 cars, 2,321 SUVs and 2,675 utility vehicles. Padin assured that the papework for all registered motor vehicles in 2006 and 2007 were in order such as the certificate of payments, certificate of stock reports and bill of lading. “This is the actual number of registered vehicles in Toledo City. We recently did a manual counting of all the registered vehicles in that district as ordered by our regional director. I admit there were errors committed when the clerk encoded the figures because the numbers did not really reflect the actual registrations made in these two years,” he told CEBU DAILY NEWS later. Padin, who took over as Toledo district head in January 2006, could not explain why his data did not match the DOTC inventory made by investigators then headed by Robert Valera. But he said there was a time a janitor took charge of the records section because the LTO Toledo office lacked staff. Padin could not say who ordered the janitor to handle the task. Valera of DOTC, who was in the hearing, said the documents were no no longer available when they went to Toledo City late 2007 to conduct the probe because Padin had brought the papers with him when he was reassigned to the V-hire section. Valera also told the committee that some documents in the records section were found placed inside sacks. LTO chief Alberto Suansing assured legislators that the investigation into alleged irregularities in car registration was still going on. Suansing later told reporters that he found Padin's excuse shallow. He said DOTC investigation had established that there were anomalies by some LTO officials and personnel especially in the registration of motor vehicles and the issuance of plate numbers assigned in Manila. “I am directing the legal department to prepare the necessary charges to be filed. What was highlighted in the report is that the anomalies really exist. We were able to penetrate these anomalies through the loopholes between Bureau of Customs and LTO,” Suansing said. “There is really glaring evidence that carnapped and smuggled vehicles were registered,” he added. Rep. Antonio Cuenco of Cebu City south district asked Padin and Suansing to give the committee copies of the almost 7,000 vehicle registrations in

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Toledo City for 2006 and 2007. Rep. Pablo John Garcia of Cebu's 3rd district agreed on the need to scrutinize these records. Garcia said it was unusual that this small city in his district would have such a big number of motor vehicle registrations. This trend reinforces earlier apprehensions that car smuggling was rampant in Cebu. “Unusual it may seem but the fault here really lies with the Bureau of Customs. The vehicles would not be registered if they were not released by BOC. The key here is to go through all the documents. We will find there how many were misdeclared and undervalued. What we see now is that there are some cases of smuggling and that perhaps it is rampant and all these so-called smuggled cars went through Customs,” he said. The inquiry is winding up but another hearing will be set on March 5, said Camiguin Rep. Pedro Romualdo, chair of the House committee on good governance. He said the committ may recommend to Congress to amend the Tariff and Customs Code, Attrition Law and Executive Order creating the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG). Undersecretary Antonio Villar Jr., PASG chief, did not show up in yesterday's hearing, prompting the legislators to issue a subpoena. Cuenco warned that Villar would be cited for contempt if failed to show up in the next hearing on March 5. In his letter to Romualdo, Villar said there was no reason for him to attend the hearing because his men had substantially testified in past hearings and were even “debased” during vigorous questioning by the legislators. “We never debased his people,” disagreed Romualdo. “Everybody was respectful. Villar loves to appear on television. We just failed to request the television networks to be here now. Is he afraid to face the officials of the other agencies? He would always want to appear that the other agencies are inutile, that he is the only one crusading?” Before the start of the hearing, Cebu’s 6th District Rep. Nerissa SoonRuiz gave a privilege speech, decrying an earlier report that her 1999 BMW sedan which she bought second hand from a businessman in 2006 was a smuggled car. Ruiz said PASG cleared her car registration of any irregularity. She urged the House committee to legislate measures to protect buyers in good faith. Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales said buyers in good faith are exempted from paying penalties but they have to pay the tax deficiencies of the motor vehicles that they bought. Morales assured that the Customs Bureau was taking steps to curb car smuggling such as computerization of assessment data. Not all container vans are subjected to x-ray scanning, he said, but this happens too in other countries.

tor. “Corruption is ver y costly for the national economy and contributes to the degeneration of our values as a people,” the official statement read. The chamber said they continue to persuade government agencies, such as the Ombudsman, “to investigate and adjudicate corruption cases, penalize the guilty and absolve the innocent with utmost expediency.” In his speech, Osmeña cited the failure of the chamber to extend opportunities to other municipalities and cities as one of the group's previous lapses.

The CCCI, however, said that the chamber's Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility has carried out projects aimed at helping the community. These projects include Adopt-a-School Project and Adopt-a-Police Station Project. “While CCCI endeavors to serve its member companies’ needs and general welfare, we also believe that the responsibility of business does not end in business,” the chamber said. The CCCI also said the Propel Community based Heritage Tourism Project in The CCCI's also plans to organize local business local business councils in

municipalities and component cities of Cebu to encourage businessmen and entrepreneurs to participate in the development of their municipalities. Trade and sales missions within the Philippines and abroad are also organized to further promote Cebu. The CCCI said the annual Cebu Business Month promotes Cebu as a global investment destination. “We thank the mayor for his suggestions and we look forward to working ever more closely with the city government in the interest of serving Cebu’s business community and its people,” the chamber said./ R E-

(FORGE) which issued a joint statement yesterday, said the move is just a diversionary tactic of the government amid the NBN scandal involving the Arroyo administration. They claimed that the move for Charter change is also aimed at Arroyo’s political survival. “The new Cha-Cha is no doubt diversionary and devious. It is not a call for genuine federalism, which should lead to empowerment from below. Mrs. Arroyo's Cha cha is meant to consolidate the support of her allies to respond to a threat that emanates from the anomalous ZTE-NBN deal”, the statement said. The groups also urged the Cebuanos to oppose the move to amend the Charter. While most of the panelists in the Kapihan sa PIA

forum discussed the advantages of federalism, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he believes the present constitution will not be changed in 30 to 40 years unless the lawmakers do it correctly and in a manner that is acceptable to the people. He said the people will accept it if the changes to be made are very specific and the people could understand it. Osmeña said he is not in favor of the federal system if it will only create another congress in the local units. “For me, all you have to do is to give the mayors and the governors more power. We should not crea te a n o t h e r con g re s s . Mahurot atong kuarta ana (We'll lose our money that way),” Osmeña said. / W I T H

P O R T E R C R I S E V E R T L AT O

No ... from p.2 merits of federalism. Besides, the Development Advocacy Committee of the Regional Development Council, where Newman is a member, had also talked about that issue. But she stressed that yesterday's forum did not even tackle the issue of extending the term of President Arroyo. “It was just an academic discussion,” Newman said. Meanwhile, militant groups were quick to denounce the reported Charter change road show allegedly initiated by the PIA in Cebu. The Akbayan Citizens Action Party, Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL), Bukluran sa Ikauunlad ng Sosyalistang Isip at Gawa (BISIG), Center for Participatory Governance (CpaG) Fellowship for Organizing Endeavors

A R E P O R T F R O M C O R R E S P O NDENT CHRIS LIGAN

Ombudsman... from p.2 purposes." Urot said Hermoso told them that the lamppost could have been taken by the contractor themselves. “Sa pagkakaron, wala pa man instructions gikan sa among hepe kung unsa ang buhaton ani nga blotter (For now, we don’t have instructions from our chief on what to do with the information on the blotter),” the policeman said. Senior Supt. Ro del Calungsud, MCPO director, refused to issue any statement regarding the missing lampposts yesterday when CDN visited him in his office.

At the Mandaue City Hall, City Administrator Briccio Joseph Boholst said that the city government will leave it to the DPWH to file charges against the contractor, Fabmik Inc., because the project is not funded by the city government funds. “There was no turnover yet to the city government, we are not a concerned party but the DPWH,” Boholst told Cebu Daily News Meanwhile, the Cebu City government will give an award to the businessman, who exposed the alleged overpricing of the Association of the Southeast

Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit lampposts, on the city's 71st Charter Day celebration on Feb. 24. Vice Mayor Michael Rama said businessman Crisologo Saavedra will be given a legislative award for his advocacy for transparency in government transactions. Rama said Saavedra will be the lone legislative awardee this year. The Cebu City government will recognize at least 72 individuals and institutions for its charter day awards. / W I T H R E P O R T S F R O M REPORT ERS DALE G . ISRAEL AND DORIS C. BONGCAC