BY BETHEENA UNITE
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After several years of staying idle at the Port Irene in Sta. Ana, Cagayan, over 700 seized second-hand vehicles were finally turned over to various government agencies Thursday.
A total of 758 forfeited vehicles, which had been staying in Cagayan untouched, were formally donated to agencies such as the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Presidential Security Group (PSG) among others.
The PNP got 120 units, AFP had 60, while five units were donated to the PSG, and the remaining 573 units are earmarked for donation to other government agencies, according to the bureau.
Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero, who led the turnover activity, said that the initiative aims to improve the mobility status of various government agencies which would save the government millions in procurement costs.
Among the vehicles donated were sports utility vehicles, vans, wagons, and high mobility vehicles.
The vehicles, which remained abandoned at the said port since 2014, were seized in violation of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s Executive Order No. 156 which bans the importation of second-hand vehicles in order to strengthen the local automotive industry and to deter smuggling.
