Senate panel cites Curlee Discaya, Alcantara in contempt
The Senate blue ribbon committee looking into flood control project anomalies cited in contempt public works contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II for lying about the absence of his wife, Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” Discaya, at Thursday’s hearing.
The committee also cited in contempt former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district engineer Henry Alcantara after the latter claimed that he was not aware of the scheme surrounding the flood control mess in Bulacan.
The decision on Discaya stemmed from Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III’s query why Mrs. Discaya was absent in the hearing.
“Your Honor, my wife sent an excuse letter stating that she will not be able to attend due to valid reasons,” Discaya told the panel.
When probed further, he replied that his wife had a “heart condition,” but that he was unable to read the entire content of the letter.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, blue ribbon chair, confirmed that Mrs. Discaya did inform the committee about her absence.
Different reasons
In a letter that Lacson read before the panel, however, Mrs. Discaya claimed that she had an “important meeting” with her employees to explain the problem that their company was facing.
“This meeting was already scheduled before I received the Honorable Committee’s invitation this late afternoon and some of my employees will be coming from various places, thus, I can no longer cancel the meeting set for tomorrow. As such, I am sincerely sorry that I will be unable to attend the Committee hearing,” she wrote.
The difference between what Discaya told the committee and what his wife stated in the letter angered senators.
“Mr. Chairman, with that letter, Mr. Discaya is lying about his wife having an illness,” Sen. Francis Pangilinan said.
Sen. Erwin Tulfo said Discaya disrespected and deceived the panel.
“What you’re saying is different—it’s a medical condition. If it really is a medical condition, then go ahead and give us a medical certificate. Your wife said something else entirely. Didn’t you two talk about it? You should’ve discussed it first,” Tulfo said.
No intention to lie
Discaya, when asked by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada why he should not be cited in contempt, apologized and said he had no intention to lie.
“I apologize to you. I truly have no intention of lying, but my wife really does have diabetes and also hypertension. In fact, she takes several maintenance medications for these conditions,” he said.
A motion to cite him in contempt was later made and approved.
The Senate can detain or impose other punitive measures against an individual it cites in contempt for offenses, including refusing to comply with an order or obstructing an investigation.
Discaya will be detained at the Senate detention facility until the contempt citation is lifted. The Senate panel has also issued a show-cause order against Mrs. Discaya to explain why she should not be cited in contempt.
Ghost projects
Later in the same hearing, Tulfo also moved to cite in contempt Alcantara, who repeatedly denied any knowledge of the alleged ghost projects in Bulacan.
“I really have no knowledge about that ghost project,” Alcantara told senators.
This did not sit well with Tulfo who pointed out that Alcantara had been lying for a few times already.
“So everyone is at fault, you are not? You are a district engineer and you don’t know that there is a ghost project? You don’t even know that your budget has increased? Doesn’t that go through your desk that your funds have increased? I think this person is lying, so we have to ask him to show cause why he should not be cited for contempt today,” Tulfo said.
Alcantara insisted that once a project shows up in the General Appropriations Act, they just “implement” it. He passed the accountability to the project engineer to explain the anomalies.
Unacceptable
Tulfo, however, argued that Alcantara’s explanation was “unacceptable” and moved to cite the former DPWH district engineer in contempt.
The motion was approved by Lacson, who said Alcantara’s statements ran contrary to records and testimonies that linked him to questionable flood control projects flagged in the inquiry.
“The committee cannot accept these denials in the face of contrary documents,” Lacson said.
The Senate is investigating alleged irregularities in flood control projects worth billions of pesos, with contractors and DPWH personnel under scrutiny for ghost works, substandard infrastructure, and possible bid-rigging.
Earlier, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon found Alcantara guilty of multiple administrative cases for his alleged involvement in “anomalous” infrastructure projects in Bulacan.
Based on a decision signed by Dizon dated Sept. 4, Alcantara was found guilty of “disloyalty to the Republic of the Philippines and to the Filipino people, grave misconduct, gross neglect in the performance of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.”
Alcantara has been dismissed from service and perpetually disqualified to hold public office. —WITH A REPORT FROM THE PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY
