Sarah Discaya: from early life to Senate probe

Sarah Discaya has become the talk of the town so to speak on social media for her appearance at the Senate on Monday amid issues surrounding flood control projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Discaya is named the owner of YPR General Contractor and Great Pacific Builders, and is married to Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya, who owned St. Gerrard Construction, St. Matthew General Contractor, and Alpha and Omega General Contractor & Development Corp.

Notably, Alpha and Omega General Contractor was among the 15 contractors listed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that were awarded 20% of the country’s flood control projects.

But who is Sarah Discaya even before the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing?

Early life

Cezarah Rowena "Sarah" Cruz Discaya said in a Julius Babao Unplugged vlog that she was born to OFW parents. Her mother used to work as a hotel chambermaid while her father was a waiter in London, United Kingdom.

Discaya also said she lived a middle-class life in the UK, where she was able to buy what she wanted and needed but could not afford branded luxuries.

She received her primary and secondary education in London. Discaya said she returned to the Philippines for a while where she was able to lightly delve into show business and join Filipino icon Nora Aunor in some performances before her mother asked her to stop.

She studied business administration for two years at La Consolacion College then finished her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Management of Service Institution degree at Pasig Catholic College.

Discaya said she also worked as a minimum wage on-the-job trainee in 1998.

During the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on flood control projects on Monday, Discaya shared that she worked overseas as a dental receptionist and an orthodontic nurse, while her father had been a contractor for local government units (LGUs).

Discaya also said she held various positions in her career such as chief financial officer, marketing manager, receptionist, communications specialist, marketing specialist, recruitment specialist, liaison officer, and ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher.

Sarah and Curlee got married in a civil ceremony in 2003, and had a church wedding in 2016.

Both of them claimed that they had started from nothing and made their way up.

Pasig mayoral candidacy

In October 2024, Discaya filed her certificate of candidacy for Eleksyon 2025 for the mayoralty post of Pasig City to run against incumbent mayor Vico Sotto.

Sotto had raised concerns on her bid following a disqualification case filed against him by Curlee, which was dismissed by the Commission on Elections. The incumbent mayor said Sarah holds a British passport.

However, her lawyers had defended that she can pursue her candidacy as a dual citizen.

During the National and Local Elections 2025, Discaya ranked 2nd behind Sotto’s landslide win.

In a report by Rappler, Discaya had revealed that it was only her first time voting during the 2025 elections, which raised concerns online. She also said she had a hard time registering as a voter. 

The report also alleged that, according to a reliable source, Discaya dispensed around P1 billion for her candidacy by the start of the campaign on March 28, and that she allegedly benefited from “widespread, coordinated, inauthentic” online behavior, according to the media outfit's sister company.

DPWH contractor

In his 2025 State of the Nation Address last July, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said that when he went around to inspect the effects of the flooding caused by heavy rains from the Southwest Monsoon and tropical cyclones Crising, Dante, and Emong, he saw for himself flood control projects that were substandard or even non-existing.

Two weeks after, Marcos said 20% of flood control projects in the country were awarded to 15 contractors. Alpha and Omega General Contractor & Development Corporation was among the 15 contractors.

Discaya was called to the Senate blue ribbon committee on Monday as president of Alpha and Omega General Contractor & Development Corporation.

During the hearing, Discaya admitted to owning the following construction contractors, which she said bid against each other for the same projects:

o   Alpha and Omega Gen. Contractor & Development Corp.

o   St. Gerrard Construction and Development Corp.

o   St. Timothy Construction Corp.

o   St. Matthew General Contractor and Development Corp.

o   Elite General Contractor and Development Corp.

o   Amethyst Horizon Builders and General Contractor, and Development Corp.

o   YPR General Contractor and Construction Supply Inc.

o   Great Pacific Builders and General Contractor Inc., and

o   Way Maker One Person Corp. 

She also admitted to owning 28 luxury cars, which prompted a call to probe into the Discaya couple's lifestyle and luxury vehicles.

An earlier YouTube video where the couple announced that they had 40 luxury cars and a mansion was also pointed out.

On Tuesday, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) implemented search warrants against the Discayas’ properties to look into the said vehicles.

However, the BOC said only three luxury vehicles were found — two (a Maserati and Land Cruiser) out of the 12 luxury vehicles covered by the search warrant, and one luxury vehicle (Escalade) not included in the search warrant.

BOC Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno called on the Discaya couple to surrender the concerned luxury vehicles. —KG, GMA Integrated News