NAAWAN, Misamis Oriental (MindaNews / 25 August) – The interview by Korina Sanchez of the “rags-to-riches” contractor couple, Sarah and Churlee Discaya, suddenly disappeared from YouTube. The interview was aired on said platform in September 2024, almost a year before Sarah plunged into politics by running in the May 2025 elections against Vico Sotto, the incumbent mayor of Pasig City.
The interview captioned “A Victim of Bullying, Now a Politician,” was still viewable on the morning of August 22, 2025. By that same evening, however, the video had disappeared without explanation, presumably taken off by Korina to spare the Discayas from further public attention, knowing that their contracting firms, namely, Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corporation, and St. Gerrard Construction landed on top of PBBM’s list of the 15 contractors who cornered P100 billion of the government flood control projects. The President disclosed the controversial contractors on August 11.
A number of these flood control projects were reported completed by the Department of Public Works and Highways and local government units, but upon site inspection by the President himself, turned out to be ghost projects – non-existent, or not started at all.
In the interview, Korina had described Sarah as someone “binabaha ng suwerte,” an ominous line that uncannily links the Discayas’s wealth to ‘’baha” or flood, which turned out later to be some outrageous anomalies in flood control projects.
Somehow, Julius Babao’s similar video interviews of the Discaya couple remains visible and walks viewers through the fantasy land of the Discayas, over an array of a collection of more than 100 cars, 40 of which are world famous luxury cars, a pair in each kind like the proverbial pairs in Noah’s Ark. Above the wide museum-like garage was the glitzy mansion of the super-rich couple, filled with all possible precious stones on earth and walls decorated with tapestries of Feng Shui icons to attract positive energy and wealth.
Elsewhere in the same interview, Sarah lamented how when their construction company was just into building residential houses, they had to deal with frugal clients who would pay for an ordinary lighting fixture and yet expect a chandelier in the final construction.
When Babao asked Sarah for their getaway from their lowly status, Sarah, without a second thought, blurted, “Ng nag DPWH kami.”
And when did that start? For how long? Babao should have made a follow-up to get a good picture of how tight the couple have milked the said government agency. Clearly, Babao avoided touching the moral issue surrounding their wealth. He is a broadcast journalist interested simply in the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Nosing in how they reached there might poke a sore spot and could ruin his entertainment story. What a pity and how shameful.
Needless to say, the Discayas are still in it, swimming in the current flood of anomalies in the government various flood control projects across the country.
Their dealing with the Department of Public Works and Highways changed their fortune like a miracle. They have amassed so much wealth beyond anyone’s expectation, definitely ill-gotten, and are even unconscionably flaunting it.
Unintentionally, Babao hooked Sarah in the mouth. She is ready for the taking. It is now the task of concerned authorities to finally net her and her cohorts and let them pay the price for their unspeakable theft of the nation’s wealth, and for fooling and endangering the lives of the people.
(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. William R. Adan, Ph.D., is retired professor and former chancellor of Mindanao State University at Naawan, Misamis Oriental.)
