Land Transportation Office (LTO) Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II should disclose whether the Discaya couple paid the proper taxes for two cars registered under his watch, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said on Tuesday.
Ridon, in a statement, clarified what he wants the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to hear from the LTO and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) – after saying on Monday that both agencies should be invited by the ICI.
‘To be clear, we are calling on the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to call on the heads of the LTO and the BOC to shed light on the actual importation and registration status of Discaya vehicles deemed as hot cars,’ Ridon said.
‘Particularly, the current LTO leadership should disclose whether, prior to registration, it had determined whether correct taxes and duties had been paid by the Discayas over two vehicles registered within its term: a 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser and a 2024 Lincoln Navigator,’ he added.
On Monday, Ridon said BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno and Mendoza should be invited by the ICI to discuss how controversial contractor-couple Pacifico ‘Curlee’ and Cezarah ‘Sarah’ Discaya were able to bring luxury vehicles into the country, amid a recent discovery that eight of the vehicles owned by the pair were possibly smuggled.
‘ICI should invite BOC and LTO heads to shed light on the Discaya vehicles,’ Ridon, chairperson of the House of Representatives’ infra-committee that tackled the contractors’ involvement in anomalous flood control projects, said.
‘Both BOC and LTO’s liability should be determined by the ICI as to how these vehicles were able to be imported, registered, and used in the country,’ he added.
Last September 10, Nepomuceno stated that eight out of the 30 luxury cars under the agency’s custody were found to be missing import entry documents and payment certificates.
When asked if the cars may be considered smuggled for having no record of entry, Nepomuceno replied: ‘That is the assumption. There are no documents; that’s why that’s our assumption.’
On October 1, Nepomuceno said that the BOC may auction 13 luxury cars owned by the Discaya couple if they fail to prove the legitimacy of the purchases.
Ridon said that in the case of the BOC, as the leadership is relatively new, what Nepomuceno should do is to identify who among former and current Customs officials should be held liable for possible collusion.
‘On the other hand, as the current BoC leadership is relatively new, it should determine with certainty which former and current officials may have colluded in allowing the importation (of) these Discaya hot cars,’ he noted.
The Discaya couple is among the key figures in the flood control scandal, as different companies linked to the two were found to be among the top contractors for flood control projects.
Last September 10, Nepomuceno stated that eight out of the 30 luxury cars under the agency’s custody were found to be missing import entry documents and payment certificates.
When asked if the cars may be considered smuggled for having no record of entry, Nepomuceno answered: ‘That is the assumption. There are no documents; that’s why that’s our assumption.’
Then on October 1, Nepomuceno said that the BOC may auction 13 luxury cars owned by the Discaya couple if they fail to prove the legitimacy of the purchases.
According to data provided by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, St. Gerrard Construction, owned by the Discayas, figured in the top 10 contractors in terms of contract price bagged during the time of President Benigno Aquino III, with P10.76 billion, ranking as the seventh top company.
St. Gerrard Construction rose to the top during the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte, securing P12.30 billion worth of contracts.
At a previous Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, Curlee Discaya revealed that several House members and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials have received payoffs from him, after his companies were awarded contracts.
Several lawmakers, including former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co, have denied Discaya’s allegations, with Romualdez calling it ‘false, malicious, and nothing more than name-dropping.’ /jpv