The ban on the renewal of registration of said vehicles was ordered recently by LTO Assistant Secretary Alberto Suansing.
Congress resumes Wednesday the hearing on vehicle smuggling in Cebu.
Suansing issued a Memorandum Circular which provides that the Certificate of Registration of SUVs and luxury cars in the years 2006 and 2007 will not be renewed because these are the focus of the investigation by the House committee on good government chaired by Rep. Pedro Romualdo.
Garcia said the owners bought the vehicles in good faith and shouldn’t be punished because they had nothing to do with smuggling. They just bought the vehicles because these came in cheap.
"If the vehicles didn’t pass Customs or were not registered by LTO, people wouldn’t have bought them," Garcia said.
He said not renewing the registration of the vehicles is tantamount to punishing innocent people.
He said he will confront LTO officials during the hearing because his constituents in Toledo City and the towns of Pinamungajan, Balamban, Aloguinsan, Tuburan and Tabuelan have sought his assistance against the LTO’s order.
Garcia said he will remind LTO that the sellers of these vehicles are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with business permits issued by the Cebu City Hall.
Garcia said officials and personnel of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) who were in cahoots with smugglers should be the ones to shoulder the tax deficiency of the SUVs and luxury cars. (PNA)