Curlee Discaya, CEO, St. Gerrard General Consultancy and Development Corporation. Kat Domingo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA -- Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto has been “harassing” St. Gerrard General Contractor and Development Corporation (SGGCDC) ahead of the 2025 midterm elections, the construction firm’s owner claimed on Saturday, citing multiple cases the city administration lodged against his company. 

Sotto’s administration has filed three cases over the company’s lack of occupancy permits and another three cases over issues on SGGCDC’s business permits, said Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II, chief executive officer of SGGCDC.

“Talagang harassed. Unang-una puwede naman sila mag-object every year, bakit pinag sama-sama nila ng buong taon?” he said, noting that several officials even trooped to the SGGCDC building over the issue.

“May pagkakataon sila na i-check yan nung pag-upo pa lang niya sa una, pangatlo, pang-apat, pang-lima [na taon]. Eh bakit ngayon lang?” he said.

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Discaya said he voluntarily submitted himself to the court and posted a bail of P12,000 for each case, but questioned the timing of the filing of the cases. 

“For the past 5 years, hirap na hirap kami makapag comply ng building permit pero hindi naman nila kami kinakasuhan pero this time kinasuhan na samantalang on going ang process namin ng pag-aapply ng occupancy permit,” he said. 

“Ang naramdaman ko parang kami ay pinepersecute. This is not prosecution but persecution,” he said.

SGGCDC has been trying to reach out to Sotto and his camp, but the mayor has been refusing to grant them an audience, the construction firm’s owner said.

“Instead na bigyan kami ng notices o warning at kausapin kami ng personal para maging magkaibigan kami,” he said. 

“Ano ba naman yung ipatawag niya kami na, ‘Curlee, Sarah, bakit hanggang ngayon nahihirapan kayo sa building permit?’” he said. 

“Sa loob ng five years na yun hindi kami nagkaroon ng communication ni Mayor samantalang kami ang gumagawa ng paraan na makapag-communicate sa kaniya.” 

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Discaya said declined to comment on the details of the cases, saying that these are currently being heard in courts. 

'FRAUD, ANOMALIES'

In a separate interview, Sotto alleged that SGGCDC is plagued with several cases involving “fraud” and “anomalies in different contracts.” 

“Ito ang mensahe natin sa kanila: Yung pagpasok sa pulitika, hindi yan pwedeng excuse, hindi yan pwedeng shield para ipagpatuloy yung paglabag sa batas,” he said. 

“Sumali sila sa pulitika o hindi, I will do my job, and part of my job is to make sure that the correct taxes are paid to the city; part of my job is to make sure that the building code is enforced lalo na pag ganyang kalaki yung mga structures na pinapatayo,” he said, referring to SGGCDC’s building in a residential area in the city. 

“Politics aside the investigations have to continue and appropriate cases have to be filed. So kahit anong mangyari sa May 2025, tuloy lang yan,” the mayor said. 

SGGCDC incurred violations beyond Pasig, Sotto said, claiming that one of the bridges the construction firm built in Laguna had collapsed. 

“You know, there's so many investigations surrounding them -- fraud, misdesclaration, paggamit ng dummy, anomalies in different contracts, meron pa silang tulay na gumuho -- hindi naman sa Pasig yan eh,” the mayor said. 

“Ang problema kasi, gagawa sila ng bawal, lalabag sila sa batas… Wag nilang sabihing ako yung namumulitika, pinupulitika ko sila, kasi di lang naman sa Pasig yung problema nila eh,” he said. 

In 2020, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) suspended St. Gerrard Construction over delays in several government contracts, while the Court of Tax Appeals had also flagged discrepancies in some of their tax documents. 

SGGCDC’s tax issues have been settled, Discaya said, adding that he has also divested from St. Timothy Construction Corp (STCC) as early as 2017.

Discaya said he had no idea what substandard bridge in Laguna Sotto was talking about. 

“Napakaraming tulay ang ginawa namin sa Laguna kaya hindi namin alam kung ano ang tinutukoy niya,” he said. 

Discaya is not expected to run in the 2025 midterm elections, but his wife Sarah Discaya will challenge Sotto for the mayoralty post in next year’s polls.

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