The Philippine Bureau of Customs (BoC) said on Tuesday it had recovered all 12 luxury vehicles linked to the Discaya family, following a search operation in Pasig City.
In a statement issued late Tuesday, the BoC confirmed that the 10 vehicles, initially reported missing, have now been accounted for following a day-long search operation. The search was conducted under a warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Branch 18.
Earlier in the day, the BoC seized only two units: a Toyota LC300 3.3 V6 ZX AT SUV 2024 and a Maserati Levante Modena 2022, from the Discaya compound.
At around 9 p.m., the agency said seven more vehicles were surrendered and secured at the compound of St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor and Development Corp. in Pasig.
These include a Rolls Royce Cullinan 2023, Bentley Bentayga, Mercedes Benz G-Class (Brabus G-Wagon), Mercedes AMG G 63 SUV 2022, Toyota Tundra 2022, Toyota Sequoia, and Cadillac Escalade ESV 2021.
Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno added that the last three vehicles — Mercedes Benz G 500 SUV 2019, GMC Yukon Denali SUV 2022 (Gas), and Lincoln Navigator L 2024 — are currently in authorized service centers for repair and will subsequently be surrendered to the BoC.
All vehicles have been sealed and are under 24-hour surveillance by BoC personnel and the Philippine Coast Guard, the agency said.
Mr. Nepomuceno said the Discaya family complied with the bureau’s directive.
“With all twelve (12) luxury vehicles now accounted for, the BoC continues to verify their importation records to determine compliance with customs laws,” it said.
The BoC said should discrepancies be established, appropriate enforcement and legal actions will be undertaken pursuant to the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA).
The Discaya-link firms, such as Omega & Alpha Construction and St. Timothy Construction, were among the top 15 flood control contractors earlier disclosed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. that cornered P100 billion of flood control projects since 2022.
Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto earlier estimated that corruption related to flood control projects has cost the economy between P42.3 billion and P118.5 billion in economic losses since 2023. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante