Following the arrest of government contractor Sarah Discaya over the alleged ₱96.5 million ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto cautioned the public against propaganda portraying the Discaya couple as mere “small fish” or victims.
Discaya was Sotto’s rival in the May 2025 Pasig mayoral race, which Sotto won by a landslide to secure his third term.
Reacting to the arrest on Saturday, December 20, Sotto said it was a positive development but stressed that accountability should go further.
“Una, sana mas marami pa ang mahuli at mapanagot. Our slow justice system is frustrating. But let’s also put it into perspective: just six months ago, we didn’t even know the scale of corruption in the DPWH. 6 months ago, the Discayas, along with many others, thought that they would be untouchable forever,” he said.
“Momentum seems to be in the right direction now,” he added.
Sotto urged the public not to buy claims that the couple are simply victims, citing reports from the Anti-Money Laundering Council showing that bank accounts linked to just four of the couple’s nine companies recorded inflows exceeding ₱180 billion, excluding other firms, alleged dummies, and cash transactions.
“Kung susuriin natin ng mabuti, hindi lang sila basta kontraktor, sila ay naging tagapag pasimuno,” Sotto said.
He added that the Discaya couple had operated across several administrations and congressional leaderships.
“A number of people have told me that they always visit congressmen and even host meetings with their staff, to present available DPWH funds. The Mistermind (Sotto refers to Curlee Discaya) would always boast about how big they can give the congressmen in advances/percentages/SOP,” he said.