Among the destroyed cars are a Maserati Quattroporte, a BMW B12 Alpina, a Porsche 911 GT3, a BMW Z1 as well as an Opel Manta, a Renault R5 and a coupe version of the Mercedes-Benz G-Klasse. The cars were imported into the Philippines from South Korea and Japan in 2014, despite a government ban on importing used cars. The total cost of the 14 destroyed cars was some 27 million Philippine pesos, or roughly $517,700.
"The destruction of these contraband luxury vehicles signifies our strong resolve to restore good governance, preserve our nation's dignity and safeguard our people's welfare," Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said at the event, according to Jalopnik.com.
"I reiterate that I will never tolerate smuggling and all forms of irregularities in our ports, especially in our free ports. Illegal practices will be dealt with to ensure that every department, agency and instrumentality of government is free from corruption," he continued.
According to TheDrive.com, Philippine laws forbid importing used cars; the ban is reportedly designed to prop up the domestic automobile industry.
Earlier in February, the country's authorities celebrated the 116th anniversary of the creation of the Philippines Customs Control Bureau by smashing a whopping $1.2 million worth of contraband cars. On Duterte's order, the crushed cars were given to scrap metal buyers.