BATANGAS 2nd District Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro on Tuesday slammed contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II for what she described as “selective amnesia,” after he refused to name officials who allegedly demanded kickbacks during the Duterte administration.
At the House Committee on Infrastructure hearing, Luistro pointed out the inconsistency in Discaya’s testimony. While he admitted that officials solicited money from him even under the previous administration, he declined to identify them—despite naming lawmakers and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials in his affidavit covering more recent years.
In an earlier Senate hearing, Discaya and his wife, Sarah, testified on alleged lawmaker involvement in anomalous flood control projects. They submitted an affidavit detailing supposed fund flows and beneficiaries — allegations denied by those mentioned.
Luistro reminded Discaya that testimony under oath requires full disclosure, saying his refusal to name names from 2016 to 2022 cast “strong doubt” on the credibility of his affidavit submitted to the Senate, which only cited personalities from 2023 to 2024.
“There is an admission already from the resource person that even during the past administration ay may nanghihingi. However, it appears na he refused to disclose the names unlike the way he did in his affidavit when he identified the alleged lawmakers and DPWH officials,” Luistro said.
Luistro pointed out that Discaya and his firms—collectively known as the Discaya Group of Construction Companies—cornered P12 billion worth of contracts during the Duterte years, ranking number one nationwide among contractors with the biggest awarded projects.
“With that amount of awarded contract to Mr. Discaya, that is P12 billion… I do not understand why a simple publication would make a difference between the previous and the current administration,” she said.
Luistro then pressed: “I wish to ask Mr. Chair, nagkaroon ba ng selective amnesia si Mr. Discaya? Tanda niya yung mga nanghingi sa kanya during the past administration?”
“Pero it seems he totally forgot already about the people who might have asked for the same requirement as well during the past administration when he ranked number one with regard to the biggest awarded contract among the contractors in the entire country,” she added.
Luistro stressed that the veracity of Discaya’s affidavit is now in question.
“I wish to remind our resource person, hindi pwedeng ang pagsasabi ng katotohanan ay selective lamang. When you take your oath to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, you have to disclose everything,” Luistro said.
She continued, “Hindi pwedeng ang i-disclose mo lang, ‘23 up to ‘24, and then 2016 to 2022, nakalimutan mo na. How can that be possible Mr. Discaya? The veracity of your affidavit is full of inconsistencies. It is full of false testimony.”
“And with your refusal to disclose what happened during the past administration, it casts doubt, strong doubt on the truthfulness of the contents of your affidavit,” she concluded.
The Infra Comm—composed of the Committees on Public Accounts, Public Works and Highways, and Good Government and Public Accountability—is investigating alleged ghost and substandard flood control projects flagged by no less than President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. himself.
The inquiry has already led to the resignation of Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) officials, the revocation of all PCAB licenses of Curlee and Sarah Discaya, and the dismissal of DPWH officials implicated in anomalous projects in Bulacan province.
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