PASG chief to TV host: Pay taxes for the Ferrari

(Updated 3:25 p.m.) The chief of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) on Thursday said that controversial TV host Wilfredo "Willie" Revillame should either return the 'hot' Ferrari car or pay the proper taxes for it. This came after the anti-smuggling official confirmed that Revillame has been sending "feelers" to his office regarding the vehicle. "Sa isang tao namin tumawag siya at nagtanong anong gagawin niya (He called up one of our men and asked what he should do)," PASG chief Antonio Villar Jr said in an interview on dwIZ radio. Citing information reaching him, he said Revillame also made similar calls to the Philippine National Police Traffic Management Group (PNP-TMG). Villar maintained the Ferrari Revillame was seen driving lacked the proper documents to show its taxes were paid. He added the Ferrari was seen parked at the compound of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., where Revillame hosts a noontime show. "Dala niya sa ABS-CBN compound nakaparada lagi yan. Kahit mismo nanonood ng 'Wowowee' nakalabas yan naka-Ferrari (He would take the car to the ABS-CBN compound. Studio audiences of his show would attest he drove off in a Ferrari)," he said. Villar disputed Revillame's repeated claims he was merely test-driving the car, saying a test drive does not last for a month. He said that even if the car was registered to someone else, the present "owner" or driver of the car may have to shoulder the liability the car carries. "Aminin na lang niya at surrender sa amin (It would be better if he admitted the car was 'hot' and he surrender it to us)," he said. "Kung hawak-hawak mo ang sasakyan liable ka riyan ... Gusto ba niya mapahiya siya sa kalsada kunin sa kanya ang sasakyan sa harap ng maraming tao (If you are the present owner or driver of a hot car, you may be held liable for it. We doubt he would want to be a spectacle if he is intercepted in public one day for driving a hot car)," he added. On Wednesday, Villar said his men confirmed Revillame was driving a "hot" multimillion-peso 2006-model Ferrari. "Pina-surveillance namin siya ng 20 araw. Kita ng operative namin gamit-gamit talaga niya. Marami siyang pera bayaran niya ng buwis iyan (We placed him under surveillance for 20 days. Our operatives saw him using the Ferrari. He has a lot of money, he could at least have paid for the car properly)," Villar said in an interview on dzBB radio Wednesday afternoon. He said the vehicle was covered with a certificate of payment for P1 million, but the certificate turned out to be fake. An initial investigation showed the Ferrari was registered in Cebu but its license plate was released in Manila. Villar said the Land Transportation Office and the Department of Transportation and Communication should look into the matter. For its part, the Land Transportation Office on Thursday said that the controversial Ferrari car has a valid registration. According to LTO Chief Reynaldo Berroya, the said vehicle has a valid Certificate of Payment from the Bureau of Custom, however the LTO is not anymore aware if the amount of taxes paid is correct. "It is not included in our mandate to check if the duties and taxes of an imported vehicle were paid correct, we will registered it as along as the the owner presented us the required documents," Berroya explained. Berroya was reacting on the statement earlier made by Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) head Bebot Villar regarding a Ferrari with plate number ZGM-430 allegedly smuggled into the country and was registered to LTO district office in Cebu. Villar also claimed that the Ferrari owner presented faked CP worth P1 million taxes and duties during the registration. Berroya said he already instructed his Investigation Unit head to collect all information regarding the controversial Ferrari car. Based on the initial findings, the Ferrari was registered to one Pedro Lanuza of Salazar St., Parada, Valenzuela City. The vehicle was first registered in LTO Cebu last December 18, 2006 and was renewed in LTO-Diliman, District Office last September 4, 2007 and the plate was issued in Manila district office. Just last week Berroya, ordered the reassignment of LTO-Region 7 Director Alex Leyson, in connection with the alleged registration of smuggled vehicles in his jurisdiction. -GMANews.TV