A lawmaker is calling on the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability and the Committee on Ways and Means to jointly probe the reported smuggling of brand new luury vehicles into the country using certain ports of entries in Mindanao! "ep! Henry #aminal $% nd &istrict' Misamis #ccidental( sought the in)uiry through House "esolution *+,-' citing reports that within a five.week period alone from &ecember +*' %,*+ to /ebruary -' %,*0' some +0 brand new luury vehicles were smuggled into the country! 12nless and until these furtive activities are addressed and the connections of the smugglers are duly eposed' charged and punished accordingly' the much.ballyhooed government campaign to minimi3e smuggling will not just be a shot in the wilderness but worse' makes it a laughing stock! 4he situation is totally unfair and unjust to other legitimate importers and businessmen who properly and seasonably pay their taes and duties in their effort to help the government'5 said #aminal! He said the alleged smuggled vehicles' with a reported gross value of P*6, million' including top of the line 4oyota 7and Cruisers and Prados' "ange "overs' a Mercedes 8en3 and a 8MW' among others' reportedly passed through the ports of Cagayan de #ro City and the sub ports of Misamis #riental and #3amis City' all in 9orthern Mindanao' before they were transported to Manila! #aminal' a vice chairman of the Committee on Mindanao Affairs' said the vehicles were reportedly brought in from :taly and at the 2nited Arab ;mirates $2A;(' and declared as motor vehicle parts' which facilitated and epedited their entry into the aforesaid ports! 14his in effect may indicate that some government employees were sleeping on their jobs or worse' were in cahoots with the smugglers'5 said #aminal! #aminal said the smuggling reports are not only alarming and disturbing' but worse' invariably places the city of #3amis in a bad light as a smuggling haven! 14he allegations negate the contemporaneous stature of #3amis City as the most promising and advancing city in 9orthern Mindanao in terms of economic' commercial' trade' social and political strides'5 said #aminal' also a vice chairman of the Committees on Constitutional Amendments' "evision of 7aws' and ;conomic Affairs! #aminal said reports also alleged that customs duties and dues were purportedly paid by the importers in #3amis City' which account for the release of the vehicles! 18ut with inferences from sources that the items were misdeclared as motor parts' instead of whole vehicles' not the least to mention that they were reportedly undervalued' were the payments faithful<5 #aminal said! He said the 8ureau of Customs $8#C( is reportedly tracking these vehicles and coordinating with the 7and 4ransportation #ffice $74#( to prevent registration of said vehicles in the absence of proper customs clearances! $+,( rbb NR # 3559 AUG 15, 2014