MANILA, Philippines — Actor Derek Ramsay said he will cooperate with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) after the agency flagged an alleged misdeclaration involving his luxury Porsche, while the Land Transportation Office (LTO) continues to investigate its allegedly fake license plate.
The BOC said the vehicle appeared in import documents as a Porsche Boxster instead of a Porsche 918 Spyder, a significantly more expensive model. The agency said only about P2 million in import taxes had been paid, compared with an estimated P35 million that should have been assessed for the vehicle.
Ramsay denied involvement in the vehicle’s importation and said he bought the car from JHON LEE of JWORKS about four years ago.
“I am not a smuggler, nor did I import this vehicle into the country. I have never imported any vehicle into the Philippines,” Ramsay said in an Instagram Stories post Saturday.
Ramsay said he purchased the vehicle in good faith after being told it was tax-paid. He added that the LTO later registered the vehicle and issued its registration and plates under his name.
The actor said he has already cooperated with the LTO over the license plate issue and will provide the BOC with documents and other information in his possession.
“I am willing to provide any documents or information in my possession and cooperate with the authorities as necessary to establish the facts,” he said.
Ramsay also urged the automotive shop involved in the sale to explain the alleged discrepancy in the vehicle’s import documents.
The actor surrendered the Porsche to the LTO on Aug. 17 amid the separate investigation into its allegedly fake license plate.