After raid and gate defacement, Discayas give up 16 more luxury cars to Customs
MANILA, Philippines — After their compound was vandalized and splattered with mud amid alleged anomalies discovered over flood control projects their construction firms handled, the Discaya family surrendered 16 more of their luxury vehicles to the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
This brings the total to 28 high-end vehicles now under the custody of the BOC.
In a statement on Thursday, September 4, the BOC confirmed that former Pasig mayoral candidate Sarah Discaya and her family surrendered 16 vehicles.
Two days ago, the BOC served a search warrant and inspected the St. Gerrard Construction Corp. warehouse where the cars were kept, seizing 12 by nightfall.
At first, officials found only two of the 12 vehicles they were investigating to verify proper importation and payment of duties and taxes. By evening, however, some of the “missing” vehicles had returned to the warehouse, allowing the BOC to take custody of them.
Cornelio Samaniego III, legal counsel for the Discaya family, said some of the cars were undergoing maintenance while others had been moved as a “preemptive measure” against flooding in Pasig.
He added that the 12 vehicles were locally purchased, not imported. However, the Bureau of Customs seized them through a court-ordered search warrant after finding no record of their verified entry.
RELATED: Customs serves search warrant for Discayas' 12 luxury cars, most missing | 12 Discaya cars seized
The BOC said the 16 surrendered vehicles are undergoing processing for sealing and documentation. They will be secured by Customs personnel while officials verify their importation records and assess duties and taxes, with documents to be cross-checked against Land Transportation Office (LTO) records.
The 16 luxury vehicles surrendered include:
- Mercedez Benz GLE
- Land Rover Range Rover LWB
- Land Rover Defender
- Cadillac Escalade ESV
- Ford Bronco, Mercedez Benz GLS 350
- BMW X5 30D
- Jaguar F-Pace 2.0D
- Porsche Cayenne V6
- Volvo XC90
- Mercedez Benz Avant
- LAND Rover Range Rover Evo-F
- Mercedez Benz Sprinter
- ATV Quicksand
- Yukon Denali
- ATV Gray
"We are committed to pursue the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., to combat smuggling, protect government revenues, and ensure accountability through lawful customs processes," the BOC said.
Both Sarah and her husband, Curlee Discaya, have been invited to the congressional probes into the anomalous flood control projects as one of the top contractors.
In the Senate's hearing, Sarah admitted to having ties with nine construction firms that have bagged flood control projects worth over P30 billion in total during the first half of the Marcos Jr. administration.
She, however, denied any involvement in failed and ghost projects. Her statement contradicts that of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s observation of some Bulacan flood mitigation projects under St. Timothy Construction, wherein the structures were either made of substandard materials or abandoned.
The Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) has revoked the licenses of all nine firms linked to the Discayas. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice has placed Sarah and Curlee Discaya under an immigration lookout bulletin order (ILBO).
RELATED: 'Explain ghost projects': Marcos tells Discaya-linked firm
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