While confident that the local automotive industry could easily surpass its record-breaking sales record in 1996, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) said smuggling remains a burden that hinders the industry from achieving its full potential. “The local auto industry has shown remarkable resiliency. Despite the recent global recession, and the burden of auto smuggling, we have achieved growth year after year. Resilience, however, should not be taken for granted. Without smuggling, the growth could have been stronger; the increase in sales higher, and job creation, greater,” said CAMPI president Elizabeth H. Lee. Ms. Lee, who is also the chief operating officer of Universal Motors Corporation, nonetheless lauded the Aquino administration’s priority to “fight all forms of corruption, including smuggling.” The local industry can offer, not only its underutilized assembly plants for both domestic and regional exporting, capability, skills, and engineering know-how, but also the “right environment.” “We are thankful that part of the President’s top priority includes job creation and a firm stand against all forms of corruption, including smuggling. As the President says, “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap,” she stressed. “A stop to smuggling is a green light to a bigger domestic auto market which, in turn, is a go for immediate job creation.”