Discaya Empire Crumbling: Pasig Shuts Down Firms as Corruption Allegations Mount

The Pasig City LGU has shut down St. Gerrard Construction and eight other companies owned by Curlee and Sarah Discaya for failure to pay ₱1.1 billion in taxes.

Discaya Empire Crumbling: Pasig Shuts Down Firms as Corruption Allegations Mount

By Bing Jabadan – TheNATIONWEEK.Com | December 9, 2025

PASIG CITY, Philippines – A sprawling network of companies owned by Curlee and Sarah Discaya is facing collapse as the Pasig City government ordered the closure of nine businesses, citing “serious and repeated violations.”

The couple also simultaneously faces a criminal complaint that could lead to life imprisonment over alleged corruption in a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) flood control project.

The downfall follows years of scrutiny surrounding the Discayas’ business dealings and political activities, culminating in a multi-pronged assault on their empire.

The Pasig City Administrator’s Office confirmed the closure orders, citing a litany of infractions, including over ₱1.1 billion in unpaid taxes, operation without the necessary occupancy permits, and the revocation of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board license for several of the companies.

The shuttered businesses, all registered under various iterations of construction and development corporations, include:

• Alpha and Omega Gen. Contractor & Development Corp.
• St. Gerrard Construction and Development Corp.
• St. Timothy Construction Corp.
• St. Matthew General Contractor and Development Corp.
• Elite General Contractor and Development Corp.
• Amethyst Horizon Builders and General Contractor and Development Corp.
• YPR General Contractor and Construction Supply Inc.
• Great Pacific Builders and General Contractor Inc.
• Way Maker One Person Corp.

The closures come as the Discayas grapple with a separate, potentially devastating legal battle.

The Ombudsman has recommended graft and malversation charges against the couple, alongside several unnamed officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), related to an allegedly fraudulent ₱96.5-million flood control project in Barangay Culaman, Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental.

The criminal complaint, formally filed on Friday following an announcement by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., specifically names Sarah Discaya and Ma. Roma Angeline Rimando, president of St. Timothy Construction, as key figures in the alleged scheme.

If convicted, the charges carry a potential life sentence.

The investigation into the Davao Occidental project is believed to be part of a broader probe into alleged irregularities within the DPWH, focusing on potentially inflated contracts and “ghost projects” that may have funneled trillions of pesos into the hands of corrupt officials and contractors.

While the precise amount of alleged kickbacks remains under investigation, sources familiar with the probe suggest a figure in the trillions.

The Discayas first came under intense public scrutiny following Sarah Discaya’s unsuccessful challenge to incumbent Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto in the May 2025 elections.

The failed political bid shone a spotlight on the couple’s extensive business interests and fueled allegations of impropriety in securing government contracts.

The combination of the Pasig City closures and the looming criminal charges paints a picture of a once-powerful business empire teetering on the brink of collapse.

Attempts to reach Discaya’s camp for comment on both the Pasig City closures and the Ombudsman charges were unsuccessful.

The unfolding situation promises to be a landmark case in the ongoing fight against corruption in the Philippines.