PNP asks car buyers: Do part vs carjacking

Used-car buyers can do their part against carjackers by having their vehicles checked by the Philippine National Police. The PNP Highway Patrol Group issued the advice Friday after admitting carjackers will continue to thrive so long as there is a big market for used cars. "Meron kaming nakikitang market pa rin ng carnappers para sa sasakyang ninanakaw nila, aside from chop-chop ... Ang ibang nakakabili alam na carnap ang bili, ang iba ordinaryong tao lang na di alam carnap ang nabili nila. Sa HPG nalalaman [ang mga ganyan]," PNP-HPG spokesman Senior Superintendent Edwin Butacan said in an interview on dwIZ radio. (We still see a big market for carjacked vehicles, aside from the sale of cannibalized vehicle parts. While some buyers knowingly buy carjacked vehicles, many other buyers are not aware the used cars they buy are stolen. In their case, they can seek a record check from the HPG.) "Ang advice namin, ang bibili ng secondhand, bago bilhin kung puwede ipa-clearance muna sa HPG (Our advice to used-car buyers is to have the vehicles undergo a clearance procedure with the HPG before buying)," he said. Butacan said it is not enough to trust the vehicle's registration documents as carjacking gangs can alter the documents of stolen vehicles to make them appear "legitimate." He said the HPG is capable of conducting macro-etching tests that can determine if a vehicle is stolen. "Meron kaming proactive preventive measures. Despite these nag-thrive pa rin ang carnapping ... Merong mga carnap na sasakyan lalo ang binebenta nang buo binabago ang papel (We have had proactive preventive measures but despite these, carnapping gangs still thrive. This is because there are still many buyers of used cars, and all they have to do is alter some registration documents)," he said. Police are under pressure to score against carjackers following two brutal carjack-slay incidents. These involved Emerson Lozano and his driver Ernani Sensil; and car dealer Venson Evangelista, whose charred bodies were recovered in Central Luzon. Lozano and his driver disappeared while meeting a prospective buyer of Lozano's van, while Evangelista disappeared during a road test of a vehicle he was selling. Also on Thursday, the PNP posted tips online for the public to avoid ending up as victims. — RSJ, GMANews.TV