After two failed auctions, the notorious Rolls-Royce Cullinan seized from the Discaya couple has been sold to a Baguio City businessman. Pio Velasco, founder of Igorot Stone Kingdom, purchased the black 2023 model for P29.026 million, slightly above the Bureau of Customs' floor price of P29.025 million.
The successful auction took place on February 11 by the Bureau of Customs (BOC), where Pio Velasco, founder and CEO of the family-owned theme park Igorot Stone Kingdom, acquired the black 2023 Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Payment was made via manager’s check, and the vehicle will be registered under the company operating the tourist attraction in Baguio City.
Velasco stated he bought the car “first to preserve a piece of Philippine history, second as a form of investment and third, to show to the world that Igorots are also aware of Philippine history, that we also care and we would like to help the Philippine government.”
He referenced contractor Sarah Discaya's statement bragging about the vehicle and its interior umbrella before she and her husband Curlee were implicated in anomalous flood control deals. The company may display the luxury car at the theme park “to make people aware that corruption doesn’t pay,” Velasco said.
If not used for display, his family might drive it, given Baguio’s terrain. His family and friends pooled resources to afford the amount.
The Rolls-Royce had failed twice before, offered at over P45 million and P36 million. Meanwhile, the blue 2022 Bentley Bentayga remains unsold after its third auction at over P11.1 million, down from previous P17 million and P13 million bids. Six other Discaya-owned vehicles—a 2024 Lincoln Navigator, 2022 GMC Yukon Denali, 2021 Cadillac Escalade, 2022 Maserati Levante Modena, 2022 GMC Yukon XL Denali, and 2022 Cadillac Escalade ESV—also failed their first auctions. Two reportedly smuggled Bugatti Chiron sports cars went unsold at P160 million and P149 million, half their 2024 floor prices.
The BOC earned P29.041 million from the sale, adding to over P47 million from prior auctions of vehicles like the 2022 Mercedes Benz G63 AMG, 2019 Mercedes-Benz G500 Brabus, 2021 Lincoln Navigator, 2022 Toyota Tundra, and 2023 orange Toyota Sequoia. Qualified bidders Willie Revillame and R33 Car Exchange Corp. did not participate. The BOC will not condemn unsold luxury cars, though their value may depreciate by up to 20 percent annually. The next auction is set for February 25. A warrant of seizure and detention may be issued against vehicles linked to former congressman Zaldy Co next week.
