To avoid further questions and controversy, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson, Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said the P4.9 million worth Land Cruiser Prado that was flagged by the Commission on Audit in its audit report released last July, was already returned to a petroleum company.

Balilo told the DAILY TRIBUNE that what was purchased by the PCG to Petron had already been returned.

"It's a rebate from Petron because they are our official fuel distributor," he said.

In a separate radio interview, Balilo said it was PCG commandant Admiral Artemio Abu who ordered the return of the SUV.

"Admiral Abu ordered us to return it to clear the issue. We did not proceed with its bulletproofing. We returned it to Petron even though we did not use any money to purchase it because we used rebates," he said.

To recall, CoA flagged the PCG force for the purchase of a luxury vehicle last 2022 amid an existing ban on such purchases.

According to the audit report, the PCG acquired a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado costing P4.99 million last year, notwithstanding Malacañang's Administrative Order 14 prohibiting all government agencies from acquiring and using luxury vehicles for their operations.

AO 14 was issued by then-President Rodrigo Duterte in December 2018.

Under AO 14, a vehicle could be considered luxury if its engine displacement exceeds 2700 cc for a sports utility vehicle or SUV with an engine exceeding four cylinders.

According to the audit, "Review of the Sales Invoices of the properties acquired through rebates disclosed that the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado costing P4,999,000 (net of discount of P201,000), with an engine displacement of 3956 CC and engine of six cylinders is considered a 'luxury vehicle.'"

The audit also revealed that the acquisition of the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado through rebates was made without approval by the Department of Budget and Management.

The PCG also made the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado bulletproof for P2.80 million, the CoA report noted.