President Rodrigo Duterte inspects contraband luxury vehicles before they were subjected to public destruction at Port Irene in Sta. Ana, Cagayan on July 30, 2018. Robinson Niñal, Presidential Photo

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday evening said he plans to distribute seized Hummer vehicles to the police and military, in deviation of his policy to destroy smuggled vehicles.

Duterte was in Sta. Ana, Cagayan last Monday to witness the destruction of nearly P300 million worth of smuggled luxury vehicles and motorcycles.

He said he learned that more than 10 smuggled Hummer vehicles were also seized by the government and he plans to give these to the police and military instead of having them destroyed.

“Para naka-Hummer na kayo. Kami ilang taon na namin ‘yan naglalaway-laway kami hindi kami maka… Tapos ‘yung mga vans, because they are within the vicinity of the local governments, Cagayan ‘yan eh. Eh ‘di paghati-hatian na lang nila doon kung aabot,” Duterte said during the 68th National Security Council and 69th National Intelligence Coordinating Agency founding anniversary celebration in Pasay City.

(So you’ll be riding Hummers. We’ve been lusting for them. The vans, because they are within the vicinity of the local governments, that’s Cagayan, just split them among yourselves.)

It has been Duterte’s policy to destroy smuggled luxury vehicles to discourage smugglers. The President believes car smugglers still rake in profits from the selling of seized cars.