BOC turns over 19 Discaya cars to BIR

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April 30, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Customs (BOC) yesterday turned over to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) the custody of 19 vehicles linked to detained contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya.

Tax investigation and collection proceedings will be conducted by the BIR.

Of the 32 Discaya cars, 13 violated Customs laws and 19 complied with import requirements.

The 19 vehicles were placed under constructive distraint and seizure in relation to an existing tax assessment involving the Discaya-owned St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor & Development Corp.

“With Customs proceedings concluded, the release of these vehicles allows the BIR to immediately carry forward its investigation,” Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said.

The BOC has raised over P102 million from the public auctions of the 13 cars.

Auctions yield P99.5 million 

Meanwhile, the BOC had generated P99.508 million from public auctions as of April 28.

At the Port of Manila on Tuesday, a black Rolls Royce Phantom 2023 – one of 12 luxury vehicles linked to Philippine offshore gaming operations – was sold for P25.543 million.

Four cars previously owned by the Discayas will be sold today through negotiated sale.

On May 7, the BOC will auction six cars with a total floor price of P69.801 million.

Soaring fuel prices might have been a factor in the lackluster turnout of the April 28 auction, said Jann Obillo, acting chief of the BOC auction and cargo disposal division.

“I guess the oil price hike we are experiencing really affects the number of our bidders,” Obillo said.

Some bidders might be waiting for the BOC to lower the floor price at the next auction, Obillo said.

The BOC had hoped to earn P352 million from the auction of the 12 luxury cars.

As for the Discayas, Obillo said nine of the couple’s 13 vehicles have been auctioned since October 2025.

Some buyers experienced difficulty registering the vehicles with the Land Transportation Office, Obillo said.

Since the cars were still part of litigation and several agencies were involved, such as the Anti-Money Laundering Council and Commission on Audit, Obillo said they are “asking for their help to release the cars as soon as possible.”