[yogesh.8984]

The Bureau of Customs seized $2.93 million worth of smuggled vehicles last year, part of the $866 million in seized goods, government data showed.

“It does not pay to evade taxes in the Philippines so might as well stop trying, because you will never succeed,” Duterte’s finance minister, Carlos Dominguez, told reporters before letting diggers loose on 20 slick-looking vehicles at a Manila port, including a Jaguar, a Lexus, a Corvette Stingray, and top-end German sedans and Japanese SUVs.

A further 10 were simultaneously destroyed in ports in the southern cities of Davao and Cebu.

Source – https://www.hindustantimes.com/world...Vj10tuCsI.html

Came across this pitiful news of many high end cars being crushed to scrap in the Philippines on the orders of President Rodrigo Duterte.

For however grim reasons, this is sad to see the state of the cars being left to such a state in the presence of a president of a country. There could have been many ways to handle such situation – one I can think of immediately is to register such cars with government for state’s use.

Certainly not a pleasure to view below pictures –

[navin]

President Duterte was elected on an anti-corruption platform. As a symbolic drive to fight corruption at the country's customs bureau he ordered the destruction of these smuggled Jaguars, BMWs, Porsches, Mercedes, Jaguars, Corvettes, and Audis.

The Philippines has been wrecked by decades of corruption on the same scale as some of the African countries, Mexico (under Noriega), and other "Banana Republics". These cars are smuggled into the country without paying full customs duties and sold with forged paperwork.

[libranof1987]

President Duterte has been very controversial in his ways since he took over. If these cars had even the slightest illegal angle to them, he's making a big statement on how he intends to govern.

Originally Posted by navin

President Duterte was elected on an anti-corruption platform.

That and his anti-drug war. It is so intense, several human rights' bodies have expressed grave concern on the execution (pun unintended).

https://www.cfr.org/interview/human-...rtes-war-drugs

[rohittunga]

Here is a video of the entire crushing process

Hurts to see a C3 Corvette and W221 S Class (AMG perhaps) being crushed. There are news that a McLaren 720s, Lamborghini Murcielago and Merc SL Pagoda will be crushed soon

[nakul0888]

Ive never understood why these governments always end up crushing these cars. Why cant they just auction it off on the market and raise money for the government? Isnt that the more productive thing to do? Its not like the cars are cursed or anything!

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by nakul0888

Ive never understood why these governments always end up crushing these cars. Why cant they just auction it off on the market and raise money for the government? Isnt that the more productive thing to do? Its not like the cars are cursed or anything!

I believe its just to get the messaging across as mostly the same owners form a cartel to get their car back.

I believe there is a huge gang related problem in the country. The support for him from his own country should say something about the problem. There was a island where isis sympathizers tried to occupy recently too.

Society wise many women from the Philippines work as maid in the gulf and the states, leaving the husband to take care of kids. So its a economy running on the remittance model of growth! Akin to kerala.

Maddy

[yogesh.8984]

Originally Posted by nakul0888

Ive never understood why these governments always end up crushing these cars. Why cant they just auction it off on the market and raise money for the government? Isnt that the more productive thing to do? Its not like the cars are cursed or anything!

Another reason that I think of is immediate attention they got with the method they adopted. And that's what President Duterte wants (going by the way he he is functioning his government). Otherwise very few would have noticed it Philippines itself forget rest of the world. Top cars from top global brands being crushed is an instant headline all over the world.

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by nakul0888

Ive never understood why these governments always end up crushing these cars. Why cant they just auction it off on the market and raise money for the government? Isnt that the more productive thing to do? Its not like the cars are cursed or anything!

Because that sends a different kind of message, and the cars will end up with their original owner or their kins. It kind of allows to correct the illegal activity with money (similar to whats happening here). This one clearly says there will be no compromise.

This is nothing compared to his war on drugs where he asks for everyone to kill the drug dealers and users and they are getting killed. That seems to be working if the news can be believed.

On a related news, US also crushed a bunch of illegally imported cars in the recent past. Those were imported into the country with false records showing age more than 25years.

[Spinnerr]

Originally Posted by nakul0888

Ive never understood why these governments always end up crushing these cars. Why cant they just auction it off on the market and raise money for the government? Isnt that the more productive thing to do? Its not like the cars are cursed or anything!

Originally Posted by Sankar

Because that sends a different kind of message, and the cars will end up with their original owner or their kins. It kind of allows to correct the illegal activity with money (similar to whats happening here).

One of the newspapers had explained it, I do not recollect which one, had read it off a news feed.

The modus operandi is, agents imports a luxury car with fake papers, fake address. Once it lands at the port, the customs determines that the documents accompanying the import are fake, they impound it.
A weak attempt is made to track down the importer based on the address submitted, and marked at 'non-existent' address.

Then after a few months, an auction is held to clear the yard. And interestingly, the auction is attended only by a select few. In the end, the person who had actually ordered the car, gets the car.

So Duterte wanted to send a strong message, that if you try importing without proper papers, be ready to scrape your car as a tin-sheet off of the payment.