THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) under Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno formally turned over to the Bureau of Treasury (BTr) the full amount it generated from the auctions of luxury vehicles that include those belonging to disgraced public works contractor, Curlee and Sarah Discaya.
At a simple ceremony on March 10 at the Customs main office in Manila, Commissioner Nepomuceno turned over the amount of ₱102.4 million to Atty. Jerekko Cardona, on behalf of National Treasurer Sharon P. Almanza.
Following the flood control project scandal last year, the BOC, under Nepomuceno, conducted a court-approved inspection of the Discayas’ residence in Pasig City in September 2025 (Pinoy Exposé, September 2, 2025) where they found rows and rows of high-end luxury vehicles.
Of the 30 vehicles initially found, 13 of them were subsequently seized for smuggling and other violations of Customs laws (Pinoy Exposé, October 7, 2025).
Those seized in favor of the government include: 2022 Toyota Tundra; 2023 Toyota Sequia; 2023 Rolls Royce Cullinan; 2022 Mercedes Benz G63 AMG; 2019 Mercedes Benz G500 Brabus; 2021 Lincoln Navigator L; 2022 Bentley Bentayga; 2024 Lincoln Navigator;
2022 GMC Yukon Denali; 2021 Cadillac Escalade; 2022 Maserati Levante Modena; 2022 GMC Yukon XL Denali; and 2022 Cadillac Escalade ESV.
As part of its ‘non-traditional’ revenue effort, the BOC conducted 4 rounds of auction for the vehicles—November 20, 2025; December 5, 2025; February 11, 2026; and February 11 and February 25.
The first auction generated ₱38,212 million with the disposal of the Mercedes Benz G63 AMG (₱15.612 million), the 2019 Mercedes Benz G500 Brabus (₱15.5 million) and the 2021 Lincoln Navigator L (₱7.1 million).
The auction last December 5 saw disposal for ₱3.48 million of the 2022 Toyota Tundra and the 2023 Toyota Sequia for ₱6 million for a total of ₱9.48 million.
During the auction on February 11, the BOC announced the successful sale of the 2023 Rolls Royce Cullinan for ₱29.026 million.
In the fourth auction held on February 25, the 2024 Lincoln Navigator was finally sold for ₱6.95 million, along with the 2022 Cadillac Escalade ESV for ₱6.623 million and the 2022 Bentley Bentayga, which was sold for ₱12,178,174.15, for a grand total of ₱25,751,174.15.
“The successful auction and turnover of these proceeds demonstrate the Bureau of Customs’ resolve to enforce the law while ensuring that recovered vehicles are returned to the Filipino people and utilized to support national development,” the Customs chief said.