Discayas’ Rolls-Royce finally sold; buyer calls it ‘historic’
Did it come complete with the infamous umbrella?
A Rolls-Royce sport utility vehicle (SUV) confiscated from Sarah and Curlee Discaya found a new owner during the latest auction of their pricey vehicles, luxuries that the couple had flaunted before they were exposed as the contractors behind some anomalous flood control projects.
Left unsold in two earlier auctions, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan finally went to Igorot Stone Kingdom Inc. (Iski), the company behind the 6-hectare cultural theme park of the same name in Baguio City.
The company is owned by Pio Velasco, who represented Iski at the bidding held at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) compound in Manila on Wednesday.
The vehicle was sold to Iski for P29,026,000 from its floor price of P29,025,132.58.
Speaking to reporters after the auction, Velasco said his company selected the Rolls Royce “to save it from eventual destruction if ever and to preserve a piece of history.”
“This car is historic because it opened the floodgates for the nation to take interest in this rampant corruption,” he added.
Rags-to-riches story
The Discayas owned, based on reports, more than 30 cars when they were first featured in media interviews as a rags-to-riches story in 2024 and 2025.
At the time, they casually admitted that bagging contracts from the Department of Public Works and Highways was key to their fortune.
The Rolls Royce particularly became viral on social media when Sarah Discaya said she bought the vehicle because it delighted her to see the “expensive umbrella” that came with it.
The umbrella was still there when the BOC showed the Rolls Royce and the other confiscated vehicles to the media in November 2025.
Sarah Discaya is currently detained at the Lapu-Lapu City Jail as one of the accused in a malversation case over an alleged P96-million “ghost” project in Davao Occidental.
2 from Pogo personalities
The Rolls Royce was one of the 10 luxury cars the BOC offered for bidding on Wednesday. Eight of them once belonged to the Discayas while two—both Bugatti Chirons—were previously owned by two foreign nationals.
The foreigners were earlier dragged into the Senate investigation of Philippine offshore gaming operations or Pogos, according to spokesperson Chris Bendijo. The bureau did not disclose their names.
In September last year, as the couple were exposed in congressional inquiries into the public works corruption, a total of 15 cars were confiscated by the BOC from the Discayas for lacking importation documents.
Still unsold
On top of the P29-million revenue from the Rolls Royce sold on Wednesday, the BOC had also raised total of P47,722,010 from the past two auctions of Discaya vehicles in November and December last year.
Seven more vehicles from the Discaya fleet remained unsold:
• Lincoln Navigator (2024); floor price: P8,642,319.86
• GMC Yukon Denali (2022); P6,759,673.35
• Cadillac Escalade (2021); P7,747,289.21
• Maserati Levante Modena (2022); P4,091,916.72
• GMC Yukon XL Denali (2022); P6,759,673.35
• Cadillac Escalade ESV (2022); P8,278,445.48
• Bentley Bentayga (2022); P11,103,040.30
Also still looking for buyers are the two Bugatti Chirons from the two foreign nationals. One is a red 2017 model with a floor price of P149,947,621.44; the other is a blue 2019 model offered at P160,434,633.60.
