It looks like the Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) days of crushing seized luxury cars have come to an end.
During a press briefing, BOC commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero bared that the agency will no longer destroy seized luxury vehicles. Instead, the agency will auction them off to the public to generate funds.
“We have actually desisted from destroying itong mga luxury vehicles na ito, and opted to just auction them to be able to generate additional revenue,” the official said.
“This is as per instruction of the former secretary of Finance Carlos Dominguez.”
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The official said that an inter-agency committee composed of itself, the Bureau of Treasury, and the Land Bank of the Philippines has been formed to conduct the auction of seized luxury cars. The agency is also promising that the bidding process will be transparent, and is calling on members of the public to take part.
Three seized luxury units were recently auctioned off, said Guerrero, and there are still over 20 units waiting for new owners. To avoid smugglers from taking part in the bidding process, the BOC is not permitting consignees with a record to join.
As of now, only seized cars are being put up for auction. The BOC says, however, that it is working on making other seized goods available as well.
So, do you think this is the right move? Or should the agency continue steamrolling seized units just to be sure?
