Who Is Igorot Stone Kingdom founder Pio Velasco?

After three attempts, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) finally sold the infamous 2023 Rolls-Royce Cullinan—made viral when its previous owner, public works contractor Sarah Discaya, claimed she bought it because it came with a free umbrella—during a public auction on February 11.

The auction for the vehicle was won by Igorot Stone Kingdom Inc., represented by its founder and CEO, Engineer Pio Velasco, for P29,026,000, slightly above the floor price of P29,025,132.58. 

About the company

Igorot Stone Kingdom is a 6,000-square-meter cultural theme park along Lolong Road, Pinsao Proper, Baguio City, which opened in 2021. The attraction is known for its stone-layered riprap walls that showcase Igorot cultural heritage.

In 2022, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong ordered the park’s closure due to permit and safety issues. It reopened the following year. 

In 2023, Velasco established the Igorot Stone Kingdom Charity Foundation, the park’s corporate social responsibility arm, which allocates 5% of proceeds to assist indigent residents of the Cordillera region.

About Pio Velasco

Velasco is also a contractor and serves as general manager of P.G. Velasco Construction.

According to a publicly available Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) document, the company secured a P1,494,607.82 contract in March 2016 for the construction, upgrading, and rehabilitation of drainage along National Road Kayang Street (Chainage 0–90) in Baguio City.

In an interview following the auction, Velasco said he was chosen by his tribe to bid for the Rolls-Royce to demonstrate the Igorot people’s commitment to preserving history.

“Our purpose was to save it from eventual destruction… and to preserve a piece of history [because] this car is historical—it opened the floodgates and the nation’s interest in exposing rampant corruption,” he said.

Velasco added that Igorot Stone Kingdom Inc. may display the vehicle for public viewing.

“The money we used came from the family… As a family, we pooled our resources, along with contributions from friends, to raise this amount,” he explained.—MCG, GMA Integrated News