How many cars is too much?

Over the past week, much of the nation seemed transfixed over one particular flood control project contractor and their seemingly surprising wealth.

- IÑIGO S. ROCES

Of particular interest for many is the rather large collection of vehicles the contractor showed off during an intimate interview aired during their bid for the mayoral post of Pasig City in the last election.

It certainly didn’t escape the Senators in the recent Senate hearing that summoned the matriarch of the family. Senator Jinggoy Estrada seemed particularly interested in the number of cars, why they were purchased, and from whom.

It’s apparent that even for Senators — whom we presume must have sizeable collections of their own — 28 (or 40) cars is quite a lot. The Discaya matriarch said she has four kids, yet even that seems like flimsy reason for having that many vehicles.

We all know the real reason anyway. Cars, particularly those in the collection, are status symbols. Nothing says you’ve made it quite like pulling up in a Mercedes-AMG G63, or Cadillac Escalade, or Lincoln Navigator, or GMC Yukon Denali. Perhaps they presume they get even more points for arriving in a car like a Cadillac, Lincoln, or GMC, which are not officially sold in the country and have to be acquired from luxury vehicle importers.