The Department of Public Works and Highways has been in hot water since early this year due to alleged corruption and mismanagement. Ghost projects, substandard structures, and padded contracts are being probed by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice. In the center of it all are the flood control projects. Bidders and companies that were awarded the flood-control projects from 2019 up until 2024 are being investigated.

Trillions of pesos are being backtracked; multiple people (including the President) are being implicated; and the public is mad. Flooding occurred throughout the country, making their substandard projects more prominent. Multiple rallies are being organized throughout the country, most notably the “Trillion Peso March” and the “Baha sa Luneta,” both occurring last September 21.

A whistleblower named construction companies that were involved in the projects. Nine of which are owned by the Discaya couple (Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II and Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya). This issue became even more viral as an interview of the Discayas by Julius Babao resurfaced online. There, Sarah stated: “Yan ’yung feature ng Rolls na kaya ko binili dahil sa payong.” The car in question is a 2023 Rolls-Royce Cullinan with a Hermes orange interior.

The blatant flexing sparked a lot of discussions. Memes, skits, and artworks inspired by this matter were uploaded on different social media platforms.

Now, 13 luxury cars owned by the couple are currently with the Bureau of Customs. According to the Senate’s hearing, the vehicles’ documents were processed at the Port of Davao, but it actually arrived at the Batangas Port. The Discayas forfeited a few, while the rest are still undergoing legal proceedings.

The following are seven of the 13 acquired, and the floor prices of the units:

• 2022 Toyota Tundra (P4,994,079)
• 2021 Lincoln Navigator L (P7,038,726.14)
• 2023 Toyota Sequoia (P7,258,800.36)
• 2019 Mercedes-Benz G500 Brabus (P7,843,239.43)
• 2022 Mercedes-Benz AMG G63 (P14,104,768)
• 2022 Bentley Bentayga (P17,311,121.93)
• 2023 Rolls-Royce Cullinan (P45,314,391.11)

That’s for a whopping P103,865,125.97.

The BOC will ensure the integrity of the auction by having a thorough background check of the bidders. They mentioned that most of the bidders are their regulars and are representatives of legit businesses.

The gathered amount will be added to the forfeiture fund of the BOC, and it will then be returned to the National Treasury to be used for the country’s budget.

The BOC is going to hold the auction at the BOC Situation Room of the OCOM Building on November 20 (10am) for the seven cleared vehicles. The rest in the agency’s possession might be donated, auctioned off, or crushed—a bit of an heartache for car enthusiasts—depending on the ruling and investigation.

Most people can only dream of this car collection, but the decent ones also want to acquire it through legal means. Will this move regain the trust of Filipino taxpayers?