3 more Discaya luxury cars net ₱25M at auction

After three previous failed attempts, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Wednesday sold three luxury vehicles confiscated from contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya at a public auction, collecting a total of P25 million for the government.

According to a report on "Saksi," topping the list of the vehicles the BOC sold is a 2022 Bentley Bentayga, which fetched ₱12,178,174.15—well above its floor price of ₱8.88 million.

Lawyer Chris Bendijo, BOC spokesperson said the vehicle's selling price was raised after two bidders placed offers that are close to each other.

"When there are two bidders and the difference in their bids is less than 10 percent, the BOC sets a new floor price in increments of three percent, which pushes the final bid higher,” he said. 

Two bidders competed for the Bentley, with TDY Consumer Goods Trading ultimately winning.

Two other Discaya luxury vehicles were sold during the auction: a 2024 Lincoln Navigator, which was bought by Cantinetta Espresso Concepts for ₱6.95 million, and a 2022 Cadillac Escalade ESV, bought by Igorot Stone Kingdom Inc. for ₱6.623 million.

The Cadillac Escalade is the second to be bought by Igorot Stone Kingdom. During the Feb. 11 auction, it won the bid for a 2023 Rolls-Royce Cullinan for P29 million.

Engineer Pio Velasco, the company founder, explained his keen interest to buy two Discaya luxury vehicles: “For us Igorots, we want things to come in pairs—so if there is a Rolls Royce, there should also be a Cadillac. These are status symbols."

"We want to display them publicly to remind people to organize their lives properly,” he added.

However, not all luxury vehicles up for auction were sold, as four remaining Discaya luxury vehicles failed to attract buyers: the 2022 GMC Yukon Denali, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, 2022 Maserati Levante Modena, and 2022 GMC Yukon XL Denali.

Another batch of five vehicles, including a 2023 Ferrari SF90 Stradale reportedly confiscated from personalities linked to Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGO), also remained unsold.

Bendijo said that unsold vehicles may either be offered in future public auctions or sold through direct offers.

“Auctions provide a safeguard, allowing depreciation up to 20 percent and a maximum of 50 percent of the value. Direct offers don’t allow us to control the floor price, so the auction system protects the government.” he said.—MCG, GMA Integrated News