More used cars enter Sta. Ana, Cagayan port

IN THIS photo taken in February 2013, a worker inspects luxury vehicles imported from Japan and South Korea to be sold at the vehicle yard in the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport in Sta. Ana, Cagayan province. RICHARD BALONGLONG/INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—Another shipment of imported used vehicles arrived at the free port in Sta. Ana town, Cagayan province, on Friday, amid a cloak of secrecy that Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (Ceza) officials have apparently put over the importation.

Leilani Alameda, deputy collector of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) district that oversees the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport, confirmed a shipment of 266 used vehicles on board MV Zambales, which arrived at Port Irene on Jan. 3.

The vehicles were unloaded shortly after their arrival, according to Sta. Ana Mayor Darwin Tobias.

But Ceza officials were tight-lipped about the latest shipment of imported vehicles at the free port.

“The assorted types of vehicles were from the ports of Nagoya and Yokohama in Japan,” Alameda said.

But she said the BOC had not yet permitted the shipment’s owners to register and sell these vehicles.

Tobias gave no further details about the shipment, saying he, too, was kept in the dark about the latest arrival.

Since Friday, the Inquirer tried but failed to reach Ceza administrator Jose Mari Ponce and senior deputy administrator Nilo Aldeguer regarding the new shipment.

“It is just quite suspicious why they were barring people from seeing the unloading of the vehicles [at Port Irene]. Why all the secrecy?” Tobias said.

It was the second shipment of used cars to arrive at Port Irene in 20 days, following the Dec. 14, 2013, delivery of 347 units from Japan, also on board MV Zambales.

In an earlier interview, Aldeguer said the customs office here had issued import permits to Fenix (Ceza) International Inc. on the basis of a Nov. 12, 2013, decision issued by a Cagayan regional trial court that allowed importation of used vehicles at the Cagayan free port.

Used car dealers operating at the free port have been plagued with legal issues concerning their trade as well as controversies because of smuggling allegations.

Ceza officials and used car dealers have denied assertions that smuggling has been taking place at the port. They said all their transactions are open to public scrutiny.

Earlier, a check made by the Inquirer showed that a verbal instruction given by former Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon had allowed the entry of up to 700 used vehicles into the Cagayan free port, but this was given after the court ruled to allow the importation.

In an earlier report by the Inquirer, Aldeguer said the BOC had allowed the processing of the vehicles sometime in August on supposed instructions of Biazon.

Biazon, who has since resigned, ordered in late February the suspension of the processing of more than 700 imported used vehicles following a Supreme Court ruling that upheld a court injunction against one of Ceza’s licensed car importers.

Aldeguer, however, admitted that Biazon’s directive clearing the vehicles was merely “verbal.” Melvin Gascon, Inquirer Northern Luzon