30 Discaya luxury cars now under BOC custody

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has taken custody of a total of 30 luxury cars owned by the Discayas, Commissioner Ariel Francisco Nepomuceno said Wednesday.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Nepomuceno said they recovered a Mercedes-Benz Maybach on Tuesday night.

According to the commissioner, authorities divided the vehicles into three categories based on how they were registered or imported in the Philippines, with the first group being the most problematic due to lack of import entry and certificates of payment.

He said eight luxury vehicles were placed in this group.

“Ibig sabihin walang patunay na kung ano ang pinagbayaran niya. So ayan magiging subject to ‘yung WSD namin, ‘yun pong seizure proceedings,” he said.

(It means there’s no proof of what he actually paid for. So that will be subject to our WSD [warrant of seizure and detention], the seizure proceedings.)

“Subalit may due process po tayo. Merong 15 araw po sila… Mga next week po, puwede na naming issuehan ng seizure order ‘yan. Subalit ‘yung seizure hindi po automatic na ‘yung may ari. Another procedure po ‘yan,” he added.

(However, we have due process. They are given 15 days… By next week, we may already issue a seizure order. However, the seizure is not automatically against the owner. That’s another procedure.)

Meanwhile, vehicles with import entries but no certificates of payment were placed in group two, while the last group had import entries and certificates of payment.

He said vehicles under group two may also be seized by the BOC, subject to post-audit operations wherein they must look into the transactions of the consignees and brokers. 

Scrutiny

At a public briefing, BOC Office of the Commissioner deputy chief of staff Atty. Chris Bendijo shared that even the vehicles with complete paperwork will still undergo scrutiny.

“Ito ay dumaan sa inspeksyon. Walo po dito nakitaan po natin ng kakulangan sa import entry at certificate of payment… yung balance na 15, kumpleto man ng certifications, kailangan i-check yung taxes,” he said.

(This underwent inspection. We found eight with a lack of import entry and certificate of payment… The balance of 15 has complete certification but must be checked for taxes.)

“Nadaan po ito ng post-clearance audit. Susuriin po ng ating PICAG team kung tama ang nabayarang duties and taxes base na rin sa mga dokumento at base na rin sa certificate of payment na hinihingi pa po natin sa mga nag-import ng mga sasakyan ito,” he added.

(This is undergoing a post-clearance audit. The PICAG team will analyze if the duties and taxes are correct based on the documents and certificate of payment, which we are still requesting from whoever imported these vehicles.)

All vehicles under group one are presumed to have been acquired through illegal importation due to the lack of documentation and the non-payment of duties and taxes.

The BOC implemented a search warrant on the properties of the Discaya family in Pasig City on September 2.

During a Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on flood control projects, Sarah Discaya admitted owning a Rolls Royce worth P42 million and other luxury vehicles. 

The Discayas' companies were among the contractors with government projects that are under scrutiny after ghost flood control projects were discovered. 

Nepomuceno, meanwhile, clarified that the luxury vehicles were not imported by the Discayas but by different consignees.

“Unless, ‘yung mga nagpasok nito later on sasabihin nila na ginamit lang po ‘yung kanilang pangalan o kumpanya. So sa step 1 po natin on record, may iba’t ibang consignees po na nagpasok ng mga sasakyan,” he said in a briefing.

(Unless those who brought these in later on say that their name or company was just used. So in our step 1, on record, there are different consignees who brought in the vehicles.)

He also said that 10 personnel of the BOC will be investigated.

“Sa ngayon meron na kaming tinatawag na POIs na sampu… titingnan natin, pagpapaliwanagin natin kung bakit nakalusot o dumaan sa kanila ‘yang mga sasakyan nang hindi nagkaroon ng tamang dokumento at hindi nagbayad ng tama,” he said. 

(Right now, we have what we call ten POIs. We are asking them to explain how these went through them without the proper documentation and payment.) — with Jiselle Anne C. Casucian/KG/RSJ, GMA Integrated News