Malacañang on Saturday lashed out at the camp of contractor couple Sarah and Curlee Discaya for denying involvement in the second phase of the Philippine Film Heritage Building (PFHB) project.
In a statement, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro urged the Discayas to review their contracts under Great Pacific Builders and General Contractor, Inc.—one of their nine companies with active deals with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“They might have forgotten their commitments, considering the numerous projects that they got from the government. Wrong information given to the media may cause confusion to the people,” Castro said.
The statement came after lawyer Cornelio Samaniego, representing the Discayas, claimed that Great Pacific Builders only handled Phase 1 of the PFHB project and a different contractor took over Phase 2. He said Phase 1 was completed in December 2024 with a certificate of completion issued.
But Castro countered that Great Pacific Builders “voluntarily entered” into a contract agreement for Phase 2 with DPWH representative Manny Bulusan of the District Engineer’s Office.
The deal, she said, was executed under Contract ID No. 230H0119: Local Program/National Building Program/Buildings and Other Structures–Multi-Purpose/Facilities–Construction of FDCP Film Heritage Building in Intramuros, Manila, with a total price of ₱107,983,255.11. The contract duration was set at 240 calendar days, with an expiry date of September 4, 2025.
Castro emphasized that the contract was duly notarized by Atty. M. Laguerta of Manila. “Moreover, this ‘contract’ is not the same work/contract mentioned by the counsel (for the Discayas), which was allegedly completed by his clients in December 2024,” she added.
She then fired a pointed rebuttal: “Common sense will dictate us that the contractor cannot finish the project in December 2024 when the contract was merely executed into a contract on Jan. 2, 2025. Paano mangyayari na natapos ang kontrata noong December 2024 pero ang kontrata ay magsisimula nang January 2025?”
On Thursday, Castro warned of possible legal action against the Discayas for the PFHB’s poor structural design and sloppy construction.
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos also weighed in through an Instagram post on Friday, blasting the project as a “rotten monument of incompetence.”