CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — A group of automotive car dealers in Cebu are strongly urging the Aquino administration to take an immediate stance in curbing the high incident of car smuggling in the country.

Cebu Auto Dealers Association (CADA) former president Jose Manuel Cuenco said the growth in Cebu’s automotive industry is hampered by the continued smuggling of cars, causing said industry to suffer millions of pesos in losses.

Among the “illegal” luxury vehicles that are smuggled into Cebu province are Mustangs, Porsche and other high-end sports utility vehicles.

“This is really unfair because we have invested so much in the business. We are hoping that President Aquino will take heed in really mitigating the problem of smuggled cars in the Philippines otherwise we stand to lose the trust of foreign car manufacturers,” he added.

According to Cuenco, smuggled cars are twice cheaper than brand- new vehicles, causing some people to buy these illegally imported vehicles instead.