Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto blasted contractor couple Pacifico “Curlee” and Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya for what he described as blatant lies regarding their alleged role in anomalous government flood control projects, during the House Committee on Infrastructure hearing on Tuesday, September 9.
Sotto, the first to raise red flags on the Discayas’ construction firms, directly refuted the couple’s sworn statement before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, claiming they only received 2 percent to 3 percent from each government contract.
“Lantarang kasinungalingan naman po ‘yung mga sinasabi nito. Hindi naman po bago sa kanila ang pagsisinungaling, naobserbahan na po natin ito on the record and in public very many times,” Sotto said. “Sabi nga, ang sinungaling ay asawa ng magnanakaw.”
The mayor also pointed out that the Discayas’ flaunted lavish lifestyle is inconsistent with their claim of earning only minimal profit margins, saying it was “impossible” given the billion-peso value of their contracts.
"Katunayan, flood control projects pa lang po ito. Hindi bababa sa P100 billion ang total contracts po nila sa ating pamahalaan, Mr. Chair,” Sotto said.
"If we just apply simple logic, it is already clear that they are lying. Although alam ko medyo iba kasi ang logic na ginagamit nila sa universe po nila," the mayor said.
"Sabi nga po nila sa isang interview, pinagyayabang po nila na 11 digits sabi ni Ma'am Sarah, 11 digits ang assets nila hindi bababa sa 10 billion," Sotto emphasized.
During his testimony, Sotto warned lawmakers and the public to be vigilant, as he said that the couple’s contradictory narratives are part of a bigger ploy to muddle the truth.
“May guilty na senador, may guilty na congressman, may guilty na DPWH officials, may guilty na contractor, at maaring sa iba pang ahensya. Pero sa puntong ito, nakikita natin, hindi lang sila basta naglalaglagan, gusto nila magulo ang kwento. Gusto nila lituhin tayo,” he said.
"Gusto nila na hindi natin malalaman kung ano ang totoo para eventually mawawala na lang na parang bula magkakalituhan na tayo, hindi na natin malalaman kung ano ang totoo sa hindi, magbabanggit na lang ng kung ano na wala naman silang pruweba o ebidensya,” added Sotto.
The contractor couple named several lawmakers and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials as recipients of kickbacks from government projects awarded to their construction companies, during the hearing at the Senate on Monday.
Sotto also alleged that the Discayas have been using their company, St. Gerrard Construction, as a political vehicle in the run-up to the 2025 elections, aside from their record of multiple violations in government projects.
He also revealed that the construction firm of Discayas has a lot of violations in Pasig.
Meanwhile, tensions flared during the hearing when Kamanggagawa party-list Rep. Eli San Fernando moved to cite Discaya in contempt for “refusal to answer relevant inquiry” and for giving “confusing responses” to the committee. However, the motion was not seconded by any other member, and thus, was lost.
