Discaya enumerates luxury cars owned; clarifies viral P42M Rolls-Royce not a cash purchase
Top government contractor Sarah Discaya claimed she purchased her infamous Rolls-Royce Cullinan via installment, not "on a cash basis."
During the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on Monday, Sept. 1, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada quizzed Discaya about the price of the luxury car, to which she claimed not to be familiar. Estrada quickly dismissed her, insinuating that she was lying.
After a brief pause, she said, "parang 42," without stating any currency or amount.
When Estrada asked if she meant a million (and in pesos), she only looked at him.
Discaya then began enumerating her other luxury cars, which senators and the general public suspect she had purchased using taxpayers' money while serving as a contractor for the Department of Public Works and Highways.
She stated she acquired a Mercedes-Maybach for P22 million and a Bentley for P20 million. She also claimed her Mercedes-AMG G 63 was worth P20 million, two Cadillacs were worth P11 million and P8 million each, and two GMCs were around P11 million each. Discaya confirmed to Estrada that all these cars were brand-new.
For her Chevrolet Suburban, which she claimed was a secondhand through a "casa" or service center, she said, "Nasa 3 (million pesos) lang."
Estrada asked why her casa-bought car was secondhand, and she claimed that it was the only model available at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The senator asked if Discaya acquired all of her cars at the same time. She denied this, stating that her first purchase was in May 2021.
In a single year, Discaya said she buys around one to three luxury cars, with her umbrella-equipped Rolls-Royce being purchased last year. Otherwise, she claimed that other cars under the Discayas are service cars owned by the company and are being used by their engineers.
"I can't remember [how many]," she said, and Estrada interrupted her, "Sa dami?"
"Opo," Discaya said.
Eventually, Discaya recalled buying more cars before May 2021: one Range Rover Autobiography for P16 million, Defender for P7 million, and Evoque for P5 million in 2016.
"Marami ka palang Range Rover eh," Estrada said. "'Lang,' ha? Ang sarap ng buhay mo."
Based on what she said in the Senate hearing, the cars Discaya mentioned are worth P176 million alone. However, in her interviews with Korina Sanchez and Julius Babao, she appeared to have more cars. According to leading local online automotive portal Philkotse, these seem to cost around P337 to P465 million.
'Unbelievable'
Estrada asked what other cars she owns, but Discaya said she couldn't remember anymore. The senator claimed that Discaya must be using different cars per drive, given how many cars their family owns.
"For all of the Filipino people watching, this is unbelievable to have 28 of 40 luxury cars at your disposal," he said.
"Ngayon lang ako nakarinig na isang tao, mag-asawa, na ganito kadami ang kotse na mamahalin," he added. "Ano ba? Nasaan ang konsensiya n'yo, madam?"
Earlier in the hearing, Discaya said she owns 28 luxury cars, running counter to earlier reports that she has 40.
Estrada asked why she has that many cars, saying, "Araw-araw gusto mo magpalit ng kotse?"
Discaya explained that she has four kids who use the cars "all the time," even as she denied buying the cars using taxpayers' money.
She said her cars were bought from dealers, and when pressed to give more details, Discaya said it's Frebel Enterprise and Autoart.
In 2022, the Bureau of Customs seized undeclared luxury cars from Frebel and auctioned them off, according to the Philippine News Agency. In a 2014 report by GMA, the BOC seized undervalued products from Frebel. The company had declared its 20-foot container vans contained "Phthalic Anhydride," but they actually held lead bromate pigment. This chemical is poisonous and can explode when heated, rubbed, or mixed with other chemicals.
Corruption in flood control projects
Discaya, who confirmed owning nine construction companies—including DPWH contractors Alpha and Omega Gen. Contractor & Development Corporation, St. Timothy Construction, and St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor and Development Corporation—was among those who have been accused of corruption in flood control projects.
Her companies were among the list of 15 contractors that exclusively bagged 20% of all flood control projects worth P100 billion in the last three years, according to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
(During the Senate hearing, Discaya stated that her family has been a government contractor for 23 years, beginning with local government projects, which makes their significant profit not impossible. She also claimed they started bidding for DPWH projects in 2012 and began winning flood control projects in 2016.)
The Discayas were thrown into the spotlight, especially after Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto, whom Sarah unsuccessfully ran against in the midterm elections, posted about their controversial interviews with Sanchez and Babao.
The national attention and outrage toward the Discayas rubbed off on other contractors. Adding insult to the injury was how internet users noticed several children of politicians and contractors, branding them as "nepo babies," who flex their designer clothing and fly to different countries in seemingly unapologetic fashion—and even vlogging about their comforts.
The matter has become so alarming that many celebrities and personalities have decided to speak up.
