Contractors Cezarah ‘Sarah’ and Pacifico ‘Curelee’ Discaya were excused from Friday’s Senate panel probe so they could obtain proof that several lawmakers received kickbacks from flood control projects.
Senate blue ribbon committee chair Panfilo Lacson excused the contractor couple, but said they should be back ‘within the day.’
‘Upon the advice of my lawyers, Okay, there is no problem,’ Mr. Discaya said, adding a caveat that they could not submit everything, but Lacson said they could submit whatever’s available.
‘Your lawyers already allowed that the Senate security will accompany you, and you will return to bring the document, ledger that proves or supports your sworn statement that there are congressmen who received from you, that is clear?’ Lacson said.
‘Not only congressmen, but also Usec,’ Mr. Discaya replied.
Moments prior, Sen. Risa Hontiveros also requested the committee to order the couple to submit all of the list of projects and the joint venture agreements of all their companies including St. Gerrard and Alpha and Omega during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte.
‘I just wish to reiterate that by obtaining and submitting the ledger in this committee, it should be included explicitly in the list of projects from 2016 to 2022,’ Hontiveros said.
‘I request the chair to include explicitly in his ruling regarding Ms. Discaya a reiteration of this request for them to submit the list of projects with DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways), with joint venture agreements of all their companies-St. Gerrard, Alpha and Omega, and others-from the years of 2016 to 2022,’ she continued, partly in Filipino.
It can be recalled that the Discaya couple told the Independent Commission on Infrastructure that they would no longer cooperate in the fact-finding body’s investigation, with Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla saying that they could be protecting Sen. Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go, who is also the former special assistant to the president under Duterte.
Also moments before their exit, Sen. JV Ejercito also urged the couple to submit text messages as additional evidence.
‘The news we’ve heard is, the ones Mr. Discaya identified are those who did not return – perhaps you have text messages that you can show us to our chair and members of the committee,’ Ejercito said in Filipino.
In September, Mr. Discaya named lawmakers and DPWH officials who allegedly solicited money from his firm after it won a government project bidding.