Bidders for Discaya vehicles assured they won’t be harassed
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has assured the winning bidders of the soon-to-be auctioned seven luxury cars owned by contractors Pacifico “Curlee” and his wife, Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya, that they will not be harassed by authorities or the public, given the controversy hounding the couple.
Customs Deputy Chief of Staff Chris Bendijo made this statement on Tuesday after the BOC announced on Monday that it would conduct a public auction on Nov. 17 through sealed bidding for the vehicles seized from the family in October.
A total of 13 cars are under the custody of the BOC after a warrant of seizure and detention order was issued for the vehicles.
Seven of the couple’s vehicles were found to have no records of import entry and certificates of payment: a Toyota Tundra, Toyota Sequoia, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG, Mercedes-Benz G500, Lincoln Navigator and Bentley Bentayga.
Recovered funds
The public auction, Bendijo said in an interview with dzMM Teleradyo, “will help rectify the anger of the public because the process will now be corrected and the revenue lost will be returned to public funds.”
The government may earn P100 million from the auction if all vehicles are sold, he added.
Bendijo said the auctioned cars will undergo full registration to guarantee buyers full rights over the vehicles. He also reminded winning bidders that they must register the vehicles with the Land Transportation Office (LTO).
The buyers “will not be harassed by law enforcement, by LTO and HPG (Highway Patrol Group), because we have an agreement with the LTO that we will correct the registration of these smuggled items,” he stressed.
The BOC is still waiting for its legal division to decide whether or not the other six vehicles seized from the Discayas will also be auctioned. These vehicles were found to have import entry records, but their payment records were questionable, Bendijo said.
Auction requirements
In its auction notice, the BOC said interested bidders must register at least two days before the sale and submit their latest certified true copy of Income or Business Tax Returns, duly stamped and received by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
A nonrefundable registration fee of P5,050, aside from the required cash or manager’s check bond, must also be paid before they can join the auction. Payments must immediately be made after the sale, with the winning bidders having only 30 days to claim the vehicles. INQ
The BOC will conduct a public viewing of the vehicles for all qualified bidders on its grounds on Nov. 10 to 12.
The full auction notice can be accessed through: customs.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/PORT-OF-MANILA-AUCTION.pdf.
