Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno and Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II should be invited by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to discuss the alleged smuggling of cars owned by the Discaya couple.
This was the call of Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon on Monday, amid recent discovery that eight of the vehicles owned by contractor-couple Pacifico ‘Curlee’ and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya were possibly smuggled.
The Discaya couple are among the key figures in the flood control projects controversy, as different companies linked to the two were found to be among the top contractors for flood control projects.
The ICI, Ridon said, should ascertain whether BOC and LTO should be held liable for allowing these vehicles to enter the country.
‘ICI should invite BOC and LTO heads to shed light on the Discaya vehicles,’ Ridon, chairperson of the House of Representatives’ infra-committee that tackled the contractors’ involvement in anomalous flood control projects.
‘Both BOC and LTO’s liability should be determined by the ICI as to how these vehicles were able to be imported, registered and used in the country,’ he added.
Last September 10, Nepomuceno stated that eight out of the 30 luxury cars under the agency’s custody were found to be missing import entry documents and payment certificates.
When asked if the cars may be considered smuggled for having no record of entry, Nepomuceno replied : ‘That is the assumption. There are no documents; that’s why that’s our assumption.’
On October 1, Nepomuceno said that the BOC may auction 13 luxury cars owned by the Discaya couple if they fail to prove the legitimacy of the purchases.