Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has urged the Senate to look into the alleged smuggling of two Bugatti Chiron sports cars into the Philippines “with an end view of abating the outright smuggling of luxury cars” in the country through legislation. 

Subject of Gatchalian’s resolution is the blue Bugatti with license plate number NIM 5448, and a red Bugatti with license plate no. NIM 5450, which did not go through regular customs clearance when the luxury vehicles entered the country in November 2023. 

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) issued a warrant of seizure and detention (WSD) in Feb. 2, 2024 when the two undocumented Bugatti Chiron sports cars have been frequently seen in and around Metro Manila and in Pasay City, Pasig City, Muntinlupa City and Cavite. 

In February 9, the alleged owner of the smuggled red Bugatti surrendered the car to the BOC’s Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (BOC-CIIS) at the Manila International Container Port. The car had been stored in a house in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa City. 

Two weeks later, the owner of the blue Bugatti Chiron also surrendered the car to the BOC-CIIS.

“They luxury sports car, worth P165 million each without customs duties and taxes are registered under a certain Menguin Zhu and a certain Thru Trang Nguyen…these smuggled vehicles were publicly listed for sale on online marketplaces and social media platforms,” Gatchalian noted in his Senate Resolution No. 954. 

“There is a need to determine the lapses and loopholes in government processes that led to the continued persistence of outright smuggling of luxury items in the country, including cars, that deprives the government of much-needed revenues and poses a serious and great threat to the nationa economy,” the senator pointed out. 

Due to the entry of the luxury cars, the lawmaker said it is necessary for the government to assess the scale of car smuggling in the country and enhance border control measure. 

A Senate probe, he said, will also look into the use of cutting-edge methods and technologies to combat luxury car smuggling. 

According to Gatchalian, the government should have collected 50 percent excise tax from the importation of the two vehicles. 

“Hindi natin dapat pinapalusot ang mga ganitong gawain dahil malaking kabawasan ito sa buwis na dapat nakokolekta ng gobyerno na kailangan natin para maipatupad ang mga proyekto na magpapalakas sa ekonomiya at magpapaunlad sa mga Pilipino (We should not let these activities slip because this is a big reduction in the tax that the government should be collecting that we need to implement projects that will strengthen the economy and develop Filipinos),” Gatchalian said in a previous statement.