In Cebu City the National Bureau of Investigation raided a compound and seized 25 “hot” cars, all expensive SUVs. The SUVs are all right-hand drive vehicles. There is a national law, RA 8506, banning the importation, registration and operation of right-hand drive vehicles. To refer this as smuggling is an understatment.
However, the owner of the compound, a businessman named Sulpicio Jao and thus the chief suspect, is suing the NBI for illegal seizure. Only in the Philippines!
In the first place how can such a huge number of fancy cars even get pass the Bureau of Customs? It was reported that the son of Customs Collector Billy Bibbit “prodded” the release. Bibbit, in turn, cannot claim innocence. These are eye-catching cars that no one simply cannot turn a blind eye to, most especially without the go-ahead of the Customs’ top brass in the city.
Obviously a crime has been committed and it certainly wasn’t perpetrated by NBI personnel. What is certain is that Bureau of Customs officials had a hand in it. As for businessman Sulpicio Jao, let’s see how far his money can take him. It was able to take him and his cars out the Customs compound and into his.
Perhaps he’ll find himself sharing a police van with his Customs cohorts on the way to prison. But that might be wishful thinking.
Stay tuned … same bat time … same bat channel…
