‘Zero credibility’ for contractor Curlee Discaya - Ridon

Metro Manila, Philippines - House infrastructure committee co-chairperson Terry Ridon dismissed the testimony of contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya, and said the businessman had “zero credibility” after changing his story between the Senate and House of Representatives hearings.

“If the scale is 1 to 5, the answer is 0 because of the recantation yesterday,” Ridon said in an interview with Newswatch Plus’ The Newsmaker. “Talaga po nga very evasive siya” [He was really evasive.]

Ridon noted that Discaya’s affidavit before the Senate tagged Speaker Martin Romualdez and Rep. Zaldy Co, but later backtracked before the House committee.

“Kasi tinag niya si [Because he tagged] House Speaker Martin Romualdez at si [and] Congressman Zaldy Co… only to make a recantation the next day,” Ridon said.

He added that documents contradicted Discaya’s claims that kickbacks only began in 2022 due to a “three-strike rule” at the Department of Public Works and Highways.

“Pero kinonfront po siya with evidence and documents na… nagsimula po ng 2015 pa,” Ridon said.

[Translation: But he was confronted with evidence that the order began in 2015.]

Financial records also showed that the Discaya companies’ revenues surged from P2 billion in revenues in 2014 to as much as P15 billion by 2023.

Ridon said the credibility of Discaya’s testimony was further damaged by improper notarization.

“Expired yung PTR po ng nagnotaryo… as far as lawyers are concerned, it should be considered as a mere scrap of paper,” he said.

[Translation: The notary public’s license has expired… as far as lawyers are concerned, the affidavit is a mere scrap of paper.]

No to state witnesses

Ridon also rejected the possibility of Curlee and his wife, Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya, turning into state witnesses.

“Yung po requirement para maging state witness, ikaw po yung least guilty… Pero ang itsura po nila bilang mga kontratista, sila po yung most guilty,” said Ridon.

[Translation: The requirement to be a state witness is that you must be the least guilty… But as contractors, they appear to be the most guilty]

The Discaya couple previously asked the Senate to consider them as state witnesses, arguing that they feared for their safety.

“They are as guilty, they are as most guilty as the DPWH officials and the politicians that they’ve paid off,” Ridon stressed.

By law, state witnesses must be the least guilty among the accused, provide indispensable testimony, and have no record of crimes involving moral turpitude.

Ridon said the Discayas fail on all counts, having admitted to directly handing out kickbacks.

“This scheme works in three parts: the contractor, the DPWH officials who fix the project, and the congressmen,” Ridon said. “They’re definitely not the least guilty.”