(RTVM)
The Philippine government has continued a campaign against illegally imported vehicles by simulcasting the crushing dozens of contraband vehicles from two locations on state TV.
President Rodrigo Duterte was present in Manila recently as over 100 Vespa scooters, a Harley-Davidson and and several other motorcycles and SUVs were destroyed by an excavator. Meanwhile, two heavy duty Ford vans were torn apart at the port of Cebu. The total value of the vehicles was estimated to be over $650,000.
The action was meant to send a public message to smugglers, and took place just weeks after millions of dollars in luxury and sports cars were crushed at similar events.
Some have criticized Dutere’s government for not auctioning the cars and using the proceeds for social purposes, but the Inquirer reports that while it used to do that, the importers had corrupted the auction system and had found a way to benefit from it.