Customs team searches Discaya office, ‘secures’ 12 luxury cars
Just hours after carrying out a search warrant on luxury cars of contractors Pacifico and Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya and finding only two covered by a court order, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) “secured and sealed” all 12 luxury cars by Tuesday night.
Customs chief Ariel Nepomuceno, who led the operation on Tuesday morning at the Pasig compound of St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor & Development Corp., initially found only a Maserati Levante Modena and a Land Cruiser 300, with the 10 other cars missing.
The operation was based on a search warrant for 12 vehicles issued on Monday by Executive Judge Carolina Icasiano-Sison of Branch 18 of the Manila Regional Trial Court.
The team, however, saw a Cadillac Escalade and a Jaguar F-Pace in the premises, which were not covered by the warrant. BOC spokesperson Chris Bendijo told the Inquirer the bureau is now looking into these two imported cars and could include them in the ongoing probe that began last week.
By Tuesday evening, the BOC said it had located the remaining 10 vehicles after Nepomuceno warned the Discaya couple to “voluntarily surrender” the vehicles should they have the proper documents to prove that they are indeed “buyers in good faith.”
‘For repair’
The agency confirmed that seven of the missing vehicles—Rolls-Royce Cullinan 2023, Bentley Bentayga, Mercedes G-Class (Brabus G-Wagon), Mercedes AMG G 63 SUV 2022, Toyota Tundra 2022, Toyota Sequoia and Cadillac Escalade ESV 2021—were brought to the construction firm’s compound.
The three remaining vehicles, however, have yet to be surrendered to the BOC as they are still in service centers “for repair,” the bureau said. These are the Mercedes-Benz G 500 SUV 2019, GMC Yukon Denali SUV 2022 and two Lincoln Navigator L 2024.
The Discayas drew controversy after they were featured in two viral video programs (one of them since taken down) which also presented their lavish wealth, along with a fleet of 40 luxury cars including a Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, Bentley and several other high-end brands.
The video features by veteran broadcasters Korina Sanchez and Julius Babao prompted Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto—whom Sarah Discaya challenged in the Pasig mayoral race this year—to question the display of wealth as well as the media ethics behind their presentation.
Sotto’s criticisms became amplified amid the widening controversy over the government’s flood control projects with private contractors.
‘Service vehicles’
On Monday, Sarah Discaya told a hearing by the Senate blue ribbon committee that she owned only “28 luxury vehicles,” describing the others as “service vehicles.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada questioned Sarah Discaya about the vehicles in that hearing, saying: “It’s only now that I’ve heard someone or a couple owning these many cars. Never mind if it’s just a Fortuner, that’s okay. But you—you own a Rolls-Royce, a Maybach, [another] Mercedes-Benz, a Bentley, Escalade, Range Rover, how many? GMC, 663—I don’t even understand these [terms] anymore.”
On Tuesday’s plenary session, Estrada disclosed that “Based on the information that I got, the Discayas and their companies own 80 vehicles. Over 40 of these are luxury vehicles.”
Search to be expanded
Estrada also said his office had learned there were six more luxury vehicles belonging to the Discayas, naming among these a Volvo XC-90 and a Mercedes-Benz GLS.
“This is overwhelming wealth. I can hardly believe it when Sarah admitted that they own 28 luxury cars, but it hasn’t even reached half the total number of vehicles they actually have. This is outrageous!” the senator said.
Nepomuceno said his agents were looking into 12 luxury cars for now because they still had to verify if the other vehicles had import permits.
“We will ensure that these vehicles are located without delay, and if discrepancies are uncovered, all taxes and duties will be collected in full,” the customs chief said.
The Inquirer contacted Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II for comment, but he had yet to respond as of this writing. —WITH REPORTS FROM TINA G. SANTOS AND CHARIE ABARCA
