MEASURES TO SPEED UP RESOLUTION OF SEIZURE CASES INVOLVING MOTOR VEHICLES

The Bureau is cognizant of the sad state of seized motor vehicles whose conditions rapidly deteriorate due to prolonged exposure to the elements and pilferage. In response to this persistent problem and to avoid the consequent reduction in the market value of these vehicles, the following measures are hereby promulgated to speed up the resolution of the seizure cases which tie down these motor vehicles to this predicament and to pave the way for the immediate disposition of these vehicles in accordance with law.

1. Henceforth, all seizure cases involving motor vehicles shall be resolved by a final order/decision by the respective concerned offices within sixty (60) days from the issuance of warrant of seizure and detention (WSD).

2. The various law divisions or equivalent offices in the outports which have seizure cases that have remained pending for more than sixty days as of today, reckoned from the WSD date shall have until September 27, 1996 within which to resolve the same by a final order or decision.

3. Those pending cases which shall remain unresolved by September 27, 1996, or those subsequent cases which have not been resolved after sixty (60) days from the issuance of WSD, shall be forwarded to the Commissioner of Customs with the corresponding records of the case for their immediate resolution.

4. For this purposes, the Chiefs of the respective law divisions or equivalent offices in the outports shall submit a list of all unresolved cases involving motor vehicles on September 27, 1996, attaching thereto their corresponding records, to the District Collector who shall in turn submit personally to the Commissioner of Customs the said list and records.

5. To complete the inventory of motor vehicle seizure cases, the Chiefs of the respective law divisions or their equivalent offices in the outports, are hereby directed to submit to the District Collector a list of those cases acted upon by the said offices, covering the period from January 1 to September 27, 1996, attaching thereto a copy of the corresponding final orders/decisions. The District Collector shall personally hand over the list and the copies of the final decisions/orders to the Commissioner of Customs.

6. There shall be created in the Office of the Commissioner a special office which is conferred the authority and jurisdiction to hear and finally decide these unresolved seizure cases submitted by the District Collector to the Commissioner of Customs. The special office shall decide on the unresolved cases within thirty (30) days from the receipt of the records of the case referred to it by the Commissioner of Customs.

7. Subsequent seizure cases involving motor vehicles which are not resolved after sixty (60) days from the issuance of the WSD, shall in like manner be forwarded to the Commissioner of Customs for their immediate resolution.

Kindly be guided accordingly.

Adopted: 26 Aug. 1996