Senator Panfilo Lacson yesterday echoed President Duterte’s statement about his wish to see seized smuggled vehicles turned over for use by the police and the military.

Lacson agreed with Mr. Duterte’s pronouncement to give the smuggled vehicles held in various ports to the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) instead of condemning the seized contrabands.

Last Monday, the President asked the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority to see whether no legal impediments would disallow the transfer of the seized vehicles to the police and military.

The President was particularly interested in the Hummer and several other luxury sports utility vehicles, which he said could be used for law enforcement.

The President, however, still ordered the destruction of more than P200 million worth of luxury cars in Cagayan, including a Lamborghini.

“Instead of wrecking them with bulldozers, those vehicles should have been given out so that government can use them. Those (cars) were already declared government property,” said Lacson, a former chief of the PNP.

“The AFP and PNP are very short (of mobility assets). The Porsche could be used in surveillance. Who will think that a Porsche staking out on a hideout is PNP’s,” he added.

Lacson noted that the vehicles currently being used by PNP during actual operations are easily identifiable while luxury vehicles could serve as a good cover during surveillance operations.

Meanwhile, two more units of used Porsche cars with an estimated value of P28 million were seized yesterday by the BoC at the Ninoy International Airport.

The warrant of seizure was issued by BoC-NAIA District Collector Carmelita Talusan. It was consigned to the Don Bosco Technical Institute in Makati City.