Before she became a controversial name, Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” Discaya boldly challenged then-incumbent Mayor Victor “Vico” Sotto in his bid for re-election as mayor of Pasig City. The race quickly drew national attention, becoming a controversial topic not only among Pasigueños but also among political observers across the country.
It was the talk of the town. After all, who would have expected anyone to go head-to-head with the widely acclaimed Mayor Vico Sotto? A political gamble, isn’t it?
Discaya then tried to build more recognition for her name and gain renown, a crucial step in establishing herself in Pasig’s political landscape. She, along with her husband, Curlee Discaya, engaged in interviews with various known journalists featuring their life stories. How they went from ‘rags to riches’ and how they were able to gain all the privileges and achieve the extravagant and luxurious lifestyle they have—all of it, they claimed, was the fruit of their hard work.
Despite these efforts, the Pasigueños have spoken. After a landslide win against Discaya, Sotto held onto his seat, proving that he is highly regarded in Pasig.
In hindsight, this may have led to the beginning of a chaos no one saw coming.
The Interview That Opened the Floodgates
Months after the heated election, videos of Discaya’s interviews with journalists Korina Sanchez and Julius Babao from early this year began to resurface online, reigniting public interest in her story.
Mayor Sotto responded publicly in a Facebook post, questioning the journalistic ethics behind airing such “lifestyle features” about someone like Discaya—a contractor-turned-political-hopeful.
“Bago tanggapin ng mga kilalang journalists ang alok para mag-interview ng Contractor na Pumapasok sa Politika, hindi ba nila naisip na, “Uy teka, ba’t kaya handa ’to magbigay ng 10 million* para lang magpa-interview sa akin??,” Sotto wrote in a Facebook post.
He expressed concern that glamorizing such profiles just fuels the never-ending corrupt practices in politics and further blurs the line between public service and personal branding.
A domino effect
This single Facebook post drew the attention of the masses.
It set off a chain reaction, no one expected. The people were awakened.
Interview clips of Discaya flooded social media.
It was also then made known that the Discaya’s are tied with Alpha and Omega Gen. Contractor & Development Corporation, St. Timothy Construction, and St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor and Development Corporation, the construction companies who were recently revealed as part of the Top 15 DPWH contractors for flood control projects.
“Ano yung parang naging gateway para gumanda ang buhay ninyo?” Julius Babao asked in an interview.
“Nung nag-DPWH kami (When we got contracts with the DPWH),” a brazen answer by Discaya.
Her bold mention of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)—a government agency funded by the taxes of every Filipino—as a key factor in their family’s massive wealth caught attention and sparked controversy.
Her statement seemed to suggest that their rise in luxury and influence was directly linked to government-funded projects.
The interviews, which were supposed to give fragrance to the Discaya’s name, turned into a trigger for intense public opinions and allegations.
The display of their extravagant lifestyle—highlighted by a garage filled with 40 luxury vehicles, which is an initiative to share a so-called inspiring story to the public—fueled public suspicion. Was this success really built on grit or on graft?
Their attempt to win the people’s hearts using their ‘rags to riches’ fiasco ultimately failed.
This controversy did not just stay on social media. What started as a viral post of Sotto and resurfacing videos online walked through the halls of the Senate. Lawmakers began to raise questions—not just about Discaya’s interviews, but about the alleged links between her family’s wealth and multi-million peso DPWH contracts for flood control projects.
What once seemed like a personal PR campaign had evolved into an escalated national issue, with Discaya’s lifestyle, business connections, and political motives all under interrogation.
The Discayas may have built roads, but now they are about to face the roughest one yet.
If we go down, we go down together?
What began as a viral clip now has the full attention of the nation.
And it wasn’t just the Discayas under fire.
Will the Discayas let the empire they built be washed away by the flood of allegations and controversies?
Apparently not.
They weren’t going down quietly. As the controversy intensified, the Discayas began pointing fingers— mentioning the involvement of others. Several congressmen, contractors, and even high-ranking officials were all dragged into the narrative—allegedly entangled in the same web of money-making DPWH deals.
“Matapos naming manalo sa mga bidding, may mga opisyal mula sa DPWH ang lumalapit sa amin para humingi at kumuha ng bahagi niya sa halaga ng proyekto. Ang hinihingi nilang porsyento ay hindi bababa sa sampung porsyento at umaabot pa ng 25% na naging kondisyon upang hindi maipit ang implementasyon ng programa,” a scandalous reveal by Curlee Discaya.
Several personalities mentioned have already denied the allegation made by the Discayas.
This also led to the involvement of House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who was said to be a close ally of Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo—one of the several congressmen named by the Discayas. Romualdez firmly denied the allegations, brushing them off as baseless.
As the controversy grew, so did the number of people caught in its stream—many more names and issues began to surface, widening the scope of the storm. What started as a personal story spiraled into an intertwined web of allegations, exposing deeper problems within the system and stirring even greater public outrage.
The people grew angry.
It was no longer just a national controversy—it was a flood.
One revelation after another broke the dam, triggering a domino effect that continues to erode reputations, expose systemic mess, and test how far the waters will rise before something finally gives way.
Ironically, the Discayas who built their empire through flood control projects are now drowning in a storm they themselves set in motion.
