Customs to hold weekly auction of seized cars — Nepomuceno

MANILA, Philippines —The Bureau of Customs (BoC) plans to conduct a weekly auction of imported cars, not only those formerly owned by the Discaya family but also all others that were seized and forfeited in favor of the government to generate much needed revenues. "At the latest every two weeks so that they will all be disposed of. Not only the Discaya's cars, we still have a lot to auction to generate more revenues for the government. We target auctioning them every week," Customs Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno said on Thursday. Nepomuceno also said that there was a maximum price that must be observed in an auction, adding that the maximum price is lowered if the car is not sold. He cited the Discayas' Rolls Royce, which was priced at P35 million at the beginning but was lowered to P29 million during the third bidding. The 2023 Rolls-Royce Cullinan was sold to Igorot Stone Kingdom Inc. for ₱29.026 million.. The winning bid and collected registration fees from participating bidders at the third public auction generated total proceeds of ₱29,041,150. CTelegramustoms Administrative Order (CAO) 010-07 outlines the rules and regulations for the public auction and negotiated sale of articles under Customs custody. It mandates that items must be sold via public auction unless specified otherwise, with a minimum floor price based on their wholesale value. When a failed bidding is declared, the sale lot shall be offered in a second auction to be held on the third business day after the first failed auction at the same floor price, without need for further advertisement/posting. In case of perishable goods, the second auction shall be conducted on the first business day following the first failed bidding. In case of a second failed bidding, the unsold lot shall be re-offered through negotiated sale.