BOC finds all 12 cars on search warrant, says Discayas heeded warning

All 12 luxury vehicles that were the subjects of a search warrant at the Discayas' St. Gerrard construction firm in Pasig have all been accounted for, after initially finding just two on Tuesday morning in the court-ordered operation.

Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno on Tuesday night said that seven of the vehicles have been surrendered to the bureau and have been secured at St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor and Development Corp.’s compound in Pasig City.

These are a Rolls-Royce Cullinan, a Bentley Bentayga, a Mercedes-Benz G-500, a Mercedes AMG G 63 AMG, a Toyota Tundra, a Toyota Sequoia, and a Cadillac Escalade

On Tuesday morning, the BOC found in the St. Gerrard parking lot two of 12 luxury vehicles covered by the search warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch 18. They were a Toyota LC300 3.3 V6 ZX AT SUV 2024 and a Maserati Levante Modena 2022.

After finding only two luxury vehicles in the operation, the Bureau of Customs said Nepomuceno warned the Discaya family that the bureau would ensure all vehicles were located without delay, and that “those hiding or abetting the concealment of these cars will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”

He said that the Discaya family heeded his warning.

Nepomuceno said that the last three vehicles — a GMC Yukon Denali SUV 2022, and two Lincoln Navigator L 2024 — are currently in authorized service centers for repair and will subsequently be surrendered to the BOC.

With all 12 vehicles secured, the Bureau of Customs will verify the expensive cars' importation records to determine compliance with customs laws.

If discrepancies are established, appropriate enforcement and legal actions will be undertaken pursuant to the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).

All subject vehicles have been formally sealed by Customs and are under round-the-clock guard by personnel of the BOC and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The Discayas' luxury vehicles were the subject of questions at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's inquiry on flood control projects, their contractors, like the couple, and allegations of corruption.

Among the questions Alpha and Omega Construction president Sarah Discaya answered during the hearing on Monday pertained to the number of luxury cars she and her husband owned. This led to questions on whether the taxes on the vehicles were properly paid.

The Discayas' lawyer, Atty. Cornelio Samaniego III, denied that there was any intent to hide the vehicles when Customs agents searched the premises on Monday morning.

"Ginagamit ho kasi yung ibang sasakyan yung iba naman for maintenance. 'Yung iba naman nalagay sa ibang lugar kasi preemptive measure sila dahil nagbabaha dito sa Pasig," Samaniego said.

"Bakit itatago eh legal ang mga 'yun," he added.

(Some of the vehicles were being used while the others were under maintenance. Still others were taken to other places as a preemptive measure because it gets flooded here in Pasig.)

Samaniego said there was no law prohibiting the purchase of luxury vehicles. He added that there was no truth to the allegations that the Discayas were into anything illegal.

The Discayas, with Sarah admitting to owning or having stakes in several construction firms, have been named among the top contractors who had won contracts for flood control projects in recent years.

Amid the investigation into these projects, a video feature on the couple went viral, showing them displaying their fleet of luxury cars.

Sarah Discaya told a Senate hearing that they owned 28 luxury vehicles, with the rest of their cars being used by their companies.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada alleged that the Discayas own more than 40 luxury vehicles and about 80 in total.

Nepomuceno thanked the following agencies for their help in recovering the vehicles: the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Eastern Police District (EPD), the Highway Patrol Group (HPG), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and officials of Barangay Bambang, Pasig City. –NB/BM, GMA Integrated News