STO. TOMAS City, Batangas -- Expressing deep concern over the apparent evasion of detection at the Bureau of Customs-Port of Batangas (BOC-POB), Senator Raffy Tulfo is urging an inquiry into the actions of District Collector Atty. Rhea Gregorio, following the alleged misdeclaration of two super luxury cars valued at $6 million or P332,388,000.
In a recent plenary session discussing the proposed P29.3-billion budget of the BOC for 2024, Senator Tulfo revealed that two Bugatti Chiron cars, each worth $3 million and classified as "super luxury vehicles," managed to pass through the BOC-POB undetected, having been falsely declared as Toyota Tacoma.
Demanding confirmation from the BOC regarding the entry of the two Bugatti Chiron cars and the corresponding tax payments, Tulfo emphasized the urgency of addressing the issue.
One of these high-end vehicles was reportedly spotted in Pasay, while the other was located in Ortigas.
Senator Sonny Angara, presenting the BOC's budget for 2024, acknowledged the absence of any records pertaining to the entry of the two Bugatti Chiron cars, indicating a potential intelligence failure and suggesting a case of pure smuggling.
Tulfo insisted that the government was deprived of P6 million in taxes that should have been paid by the owner of the luxury vehicles.
He highlighted the alleged smuggling tactic, where the shipment was declared as a tax-exempt Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, concealing the true nature of the luxury vehicles.
"This is a recent occurrence, not in 2019. It passed through Batangas and was declared as a Toyota Tacoma," Tulfo clarified during the session.
Opinyon tried to reach Atty. Rhea Gregorio via Viber but the District Collector remains unreachable for comment.
The office of the BOC-Port of Batangas is located in Batangas City, just a stone’s throw away from the ferry crossing terminal to Mindoro.
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