DEPUTY Speaker Janette Garin of Iloilo on Tuesday grilled contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II over the revenues of several construction firms he and his wife, Sarah, own, which grew from almost nothing before 2016 to billions of pesos under the Duterte administration.
The Discayas, owners of St. Timothy Construction and several other firms, are at the center of the House inquiry into ghost and substandard flood control projects flagged by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
At the House Infra Comm hearing, Garin said the sudden windfall of the Discaya group of companies casts doubt on the credibility of both Curlee and Sarah, who earlier implicated lawmakers in alleged flood control anomalies during a Senate probe.
Garin confronted Curlee with the financial statements their companies submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
She noted that Discaya-linked firms reported zero revenues in 2014 and 2015, and just P99.25 million in 2016.
By 2017, revenues surged to P1.034 billion, a 942 percent increase from the previous year.
“Pasok tayo ng 2017—lumipad, tumalon ‘yung total revenue niyo to P1,034,443,000. Tama po ba? And this is an increase of 942 percent from the revenue of the previous year?” Garin pressed.
Curlee answered: “Yes, your honor.”
In 2018, revenues jumped to P12.05 billion, another 1,065 percent increase, before reaching P13.55 billion in 2019.
Garin noted that the billions kept coming even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when ordinary Filipinos were reeling.
“Ito ang panahon na marami ang nawalan ng trabaho, marami ang uncertainties, marami ang namatay, marami ang lumubog sa utang dahil napakamahal ng testing sa Pilipinas,” she said.
The lawmaker added: “Ito rin ang panahon na ang ating healthcare workers ay hindi naswelduhan ng tama. Pero ang Discaya group of companies, ang revenue nila from government ay P11.583 billion [in 2020].”
She pointed out that the companies posted P16.07 billion in 2021, P20.52 billion in 2022, and P18.62 billion in 2023, all from government projects.
“Of course, with due courtesy to Mr. Discaya, siguro they took advantage of a situation,” Garin said.
“‘Yun bang gutom ka, andyan ‘yung pagkain, napilitang kainin ng buong-buo na hindi mo na iniisip ang ibang tao, na hindi mo na iniisip na ikaw ay Pilipino,” she stressed.
Garin said the probe was meant not only to expose past abuses but also to stop similar schemes from continuing under the present government.
“Ako’y nagagalak bilang isang Pilipino na nadiskubre ito at sana ang ating panawagan mahinto ito sa current administration, because we should not allow the continuity of such programs and such projects,” Garin said.
The Discayas testified before the Senate on the alleged involvement of lawmakers in anomalous flood control projects. They submitted an affidavit detailing supposed fund flows and beneficiaries — allegations denied by those mentioned.
Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, the Infra Comm lead chair, said the couple must answer for three glaring loopholes in their Senate testimony: no ledger of political payoffs before 2022, no senator allegedly involved, and claims of minimal profit despite their lavish wealth.
During her interpellation, Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro, also accused Curlee of “selective amnesia” for refusing to identify officials who allegedly demanded kickbacks during the Duterte years, when his firms cornered billions of pesos in contracts.
