Auction for Discaya cars reset

MANILA, Philippines — Public auction for seven luxury cars of contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya has been rescheduled for Nov. 20, according to the Bureau of Customs.

Viewing ends tomorrow at the BOC Port Users Confederation parking area in Manila.

Bidders can join the 10 a.m. auction at the Office of the Commissioner (OCOM) building in Port Area.

“This auction is part of the BOC’s efforts to recover revenue that rightfully belongs to the Filipino people,” the agency said.

The Discayas are among 15 contractors that cornered P100 billion or 20 percent of the P545-billion budget for flood control projects since 2022.

Of the seven luxury cars, the black Rolls-Royce Cullinan 2023 has the highest floor price at P45.314 million.

The BOC has custody of 13 cars of the Discayas, six of which have import entries with questionable certificates of payment.

Chris Bendijo, deputy chief of staff of the BOC OCOM, said the Discayas had filed a voluntary forfeiture and would no longer contest the auction of the seven vehicles.

Inside job in BOC?

Meanwhile, Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said corrupt BOC personnel are conniving with importers of misdeclared luxury vehicles.

At yesterday’s Senate ways and means committee hearing, Nepomuceno said there is a scheme to mislead authorities by declaring different ports of entry and payment.

X-ray images of imported luxury vehicles were also tampered with as part of an “elaborate method of cheating the government,” he said.

Thirty imported luxury cars of the Discayas allegedly entered through ports in Cebu, Davao, Batangas and Manila.

Of the number, 17 were bought through legitimate distributors, Nepomuceno said.

The names of 10 BOC personnel issued show-cause orders and subjected to an internal probe were furnished to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to “break this practice” of corruption, according to Nepomuceno.

In an interview after the hearing, panel chair Sen. Pia Cayetano said the smuggling of misdeclared luxury cars seemed to involve an “inside job” in the BOC. –  Marc Jayson Cayabyab