The Bureau of Customs has successfully located the second blue-colored Bugatti Sports Car, which was voluntarily surrendered by its owner on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, in Muntinlupa City, mirroring the surrender of the red-colored Bugatti Chiron by its registered owner in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City, on February 9. The red Bugatti Chiron bears the plate number NIM 5450.
Despite the surrender of the cars, the owners will still face charges for violating Section 1401 in connection with Section 1113 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), as emphasized by BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio.
Entry via the Port of Batangas
During last year's Senate deliberations on the BOC's budget, Sen. Raffy Tulfo disclosed that the two supercars entered via the BOC Port of Batangas under the leadership of Collector Rhea Gregorio, raising accountability questions regarding their release.
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has also been implicated, as questions arise about how the owners managed to register the high-value vehicles without proper documentation, as noted by Tulfo.
Following Tulfo's revelations calls for a thorough investigation have escalated, particularly considering the alleged loss of millions of pesos in taxes on the two muscle cars valued at $3 million each.
Customs observers anticipate significant repercussions, with the powerful Blue Ribbon Committee assigned by the Senate leadership to delve into the purported smuggling of the Bugatti Chiron sports cars, which allegedly evaded payment of hundreds of millions of pesos in taxes.
Expected participants in the upcoming senate inquiry include officials from the BOC-Port of Batangas, LTO officials, the owners of the vehicles, and other key figures involved in the alleged illegal shipment.
Senate President Migz Zubiri initiated an inquiry following the recovery of the two super-expensive vehicles and a privilege speech by Senator Raffy Tulfo, revealing that the luxury vehicles were registered with the LTO using counterfeit documents from the BOC.
Tulfo's investigation revealed that there were no records of these luxury vehicles from 2019 onwards in the BOC. Upon further scrutiny, it was discovered that both vehicles were imported by Frebel Import and Export Corporation and registered with the LTO on May 30, 2023, raising suspicions about the payment of Customs duties.
Tulfo highlighted discrepancies in Customs duties payment and raised questions about the individuals involved, including Yogi Filemon Ruiz, the former Customs Commissioner, and Yasser Abbas, the Director for Imports and Assessment Services of the BOC.
The potential loss to the government per Bugatti Chiron, if the documents submitted to the LTO were genuine, could amount to P183 million each, totaling P366 million.
Concerns were also raised by the Bureau of Immigration regarding the ownership of the luxury vehicles by the two foreigners, indicating possible connections across various government agencies.
In response, Zubiri suggested involving the Blue Ribbon Committee to issue subpoenas and investigate the agencies implicated in the alleged smuggling and registration of the luxury vehicles, emphasizing the need to consider penalties for those involved in the crime and to prevent further irregularities within these agencies.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonBatangas #BOC