By BRIGITTE MAYOR
ABS-CBN Isabela
Amid allegations of smuggling of second-hand vehicles in Port Irene in Sta. Ana, Cagayan, more imported cars are arriving at the facility operated by the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority.
The most recent delivery came on Saturday, July 26, with the arrival of M/V Mindoro, which carried 130 units of used vehicles from Japan.
The Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group was there to observe the operation as representatives of Port Irene and the Bureau of Customs inspected the units and their papers.
Eugenio Manofre, team leader of the Vehicle Importation Compliance Monitoring Unit of the Customs bureau, said his group will not leave Port Irene until the ship sails to be sure that all units are recorded.
Port operations specialist Ralph Iloy said that before a ship arrives, they require the shipping company to submit their bill of lading and they also require the agencies to pay the taxes so allegations of smuggling in Port Irene is impossible.
Meanwhile, the seven car dealers that convert used vehicles from right-hand to left-hand drive also denied that there is smuggling in Port Irene.
"We pay for everything inside the ship, not for the actual number of vehicles that enter the car yard," said Sylvia Gerone, general manager of the Apollo International Cagayan Trading Corp.
A bus driver, on the other hand, attested that the vehicle he is driving is not smuggled.
He said his boss bought an imported bus from Port Irene.
"The papers are complete. I think it's not smuggled," he added.
A man identified only as "Eduardo", meanwhile, said that smuggling in any port for that matter, is likely. He said that he once worked for a shipping company in Japan in 1990 and he witnessed how easy it was to smuggle vehicles.
Car dealers in Sta. Ana, meanwhile, said that smuggling claims at the port have dealt a blow to their business.
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