Apec’s VIP cars also get VIP treatment

ACC Chairman Emeritus Gov. Jose Ch. Alvarez turns over BMW 7 Series vehicles to APEC-NOC Chairman Amb. Marciano Paynor at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

APART from ensuring that traffic flows smoothly for participating ministers and heads of state in this year’s Apec economic leader’s meeting, the Apec 2015 National Organizing Council (Apec-NOC) has also made sure these dignitaries travel in style.

Close to 800 cars have been designated for use by the dignitaries, provided by some of the country’s leading brands.

As expected, the chosen brands were all too happy to proclaim this distinction. One German luxury automobile brand, in particular, maximized the public relations value of being selected as an official mobility partner.

Numerous press releases, official announcements and even a live turnover ceremony were arranged, with full disclosures on the number, make and model of the vehicles they provided. But this was in stark contrast to the other chosen German luxury automobile brand, whose local distributors shunned all media inquiries about the details of their Apec partnership.

In fact, when contacted for details, their officials merely confirmed that they were “providing an unspecified number of vehicles” and could not give any more details because of the “organizer’s strict code of discretion.”

This was particularly strange, considering that the other German brand actually held a press event in Malacañang’s Kalayaan grounds, with the cooperation of the Apec-NOC.

If our insider information is true, it seems that there is a good reason for the silence.

Supposedly, the distributor was given a specific allotment (reportedly around one hundred units) to import for Apec use. The distributor—well aware that these luxury vehicles would be exempt from certain duties and be given special incentives—went ahead and brought in three times that amount, and tagged them as Apec cars.

Unfortunately, the government seems to be at the mercy of this German luxury car importer that it often bends the rules. The long-standing rumor is that one Cabinet official is a silent partner of the business. No wonder they are never “Apec-ted” by regulations. Daxim L. Lucas