Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has instituted a crackdown on crime and smuggled vehicles. The latest casualty was a group of 76 luxury cars and performance vehicles.
A video shows Duterte watching in a white hard hat as bulldozers and construction equipment rolled over the cars Monday, which included Lamborghinis, Porsches, Ford Mustangs, and high-end motorcycles. The total value of the vehicles is estimated to be $5.5 million. The crushed cars and motorcycles were part of a larger effort that confiscated 800 illegally imported vehicles.
The destruction is part of a stunt to show the Philippines will not tolerate criminal activity and smugglers in the country.
"I did this (destroyed illegally imported cars) because you have to show to the world that you have a viable place of investment and business," Duterte said. "And the only way to show it is that you are productive and that you have the economy, to absorb the productivity of the population."
Philippine President Duterte looks on as cars are crushed
It's quite likely we'll continue to see smuggled cars crushed since this is now the second round of demolition the president commissioned.
Last February, dozens of other performance and luxury cars worth nearly $1 million met their end after Duterte ordered their destruction in the capital of Manila. The Daily Mail reported the government normally impounds smuggled cars and sells them at auction. Duterte has made it clear his government will not profit from crime.
The country levies a 50-percent tax on cars that cost more than $77,000 to help pay for infrastructure improvements, but many citizens opt to smuggle their cars to avoid the hefty tax.