Pasig contractor finds ‘gold’ in Iloilo City

By Herbert Vego

THE first time I heard and saw Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” Discaya on video was months before she declared she was running for mayor of Pasig City against the popular incumbent, Vico Sotto. In that vlog hosted by TV personality Julius Babao, she and her husband Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya talked about their “luck” in the construction business.

They attributed their success to their observance of feng shui, a traditional form of geomancy that originated in ancient China. It is the practice of arranging pieces in a living or workspace to create good fortune.

But feng shui failed to make Sarah Discaya win.

Until President Marcos paid a visit to Iloilo on Wednesday (August 13), I had not known they were among the biggest contractors of flood-mitigation projects here.

But during the President’s speech on the inauguration of the upgraded Iloilo Fish Port Complex, he castigated contractors behind the flood control projects in Iloilo City and called for their blacklisting.

It turned out that before proceeding to the fish port on a chopper, he had done an inspection of two sections of the projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Earlier that week in Malacañang, Marcos had exposed that 15 big contractors earned the lion’s share of its ₱545-billion budget for flood mitigation from July 2022 to May 2025.

Around ₱100 billion or 20% of the aforesaid amount were awarded to the 15 contractors.

Two of the Discaya companies are in the President’s list of the top 15 DPWH contractors for flood control. Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corporation ranks 2nd while St. Timothy Construction Corporation is 3rd.

There’s another Discaya brand outside of the top 15, St. Gerrard Construction. All three are said to have bagged ₱4 billion worth of the still uncompleted Iloilo contracts.

Having personally known local contractors with the capacity to build the same projects, I wonder why it’s a Pasigueño doing them.

Only one Iloilo-based contractor, F. Gurrea Construction Inc., had won a ₱144-million contract.

May we know from the Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) why is that so?

May we ask the ICDEO head, Engr. Roy Pacanan, to either confirm or deny the rumor that the nationally-accredited construction companies like those of the influential Discaya couple make their fortune from “royalties” paid by local counterparts who are the true undertakers of the projects?

You see, DPWH contractors in the Philippines are classified based on their accreditation – whether small, medium or big, depending on their capacity.

This way, even small contractors may approach the big ones to “borrow” their license.

As my friend Neri would say, “congtractors” may come into the picture.

As to what that means, your guess is as good as mine.

-oOo-

IMPATIENT FOR MORE POWER CONNECTION

POWER consumers in Pavia and Sta. Barbara, Iloilo have been asking this corner why the poles and power lines of MORE Electric and Power Corp (MORE Power) have risen but they could not be connected yet.

MORE Power is the sole distribution utility in Iloilo City.

Pavia and Sta. Barbara are among the 15 municipalities and one city that may now avail themselves of an alternative to their old distribution utility, Iloilo Electric Cooperative (ILECO), as authorized by law (Republic Act No. 11918). There would then be competition between the old and the new.

It’s a matter of time before linemen of MORE Power would knock on their doors, as the company is still waiting for its Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

The CPCN is a formal authorization required for entities to operate public telecommunications facilities and services. Essentially, it’s a license to operate.

Incidentally, MORE Power still charges the lowest power rates in the Visayas despite its minimal residential adjustment from ₱10.61 to ₱10.88/kWh.