Vico Sotto sues Sarah Discaya for poll campaign overspending
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto on Thursday filed a complaint at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) against Sarah Discaya, his main rival in the 2025 elections, for alleged perjury and overspending during the campaign period.
Sotto personally lodged the complaint at the Comelec main office in Manila accompanied by his election lawyer Romulo Macalintal.
It was a rare case of an election winner still suing an opponent roundly defeated. Sotto won by a landslide with more than 351,000 votes against Discaya who got about 29,000.
But it was after the elections that Sarah, and her husband Curlee, came to the national spotlight as the couple were dragged into the public works corruption scandal. Called to congressional inquiries, the Discayas were revealed to be behind companies that bagged multimillion-peso government contracts for flood control projects later flagged for alleged fraud and graft.
Sarah Discaya is currently detained at the Lapu-Lapu City jail as one of the accused in a case involving an alleged “ghost’’ or falsified project in Davao Occidental.
In his complaint at the Comelec, Sotto accused Discaya of falsifying her statement of contribution and expenditure (Soce), a document required of election candidates.
Misdeclaration
The Pasig mayor alleged that his election opponent went beyond the limit of the contribution and expenditure amounts authorized by Republic Act No. 7166.
The law says a party-backed candidate, except in the presidential and vice presidential race, may spend only P3 for every voter registered in his or her city or municipality. The limit is P5 for candidates without a political party.
According to the Comelec, Pasig had a total of 463,885 registered voters in the 2025 elections. Sotto noted that Discaya’s maximum campaign contributions and expenditure should be limited to P1,391,655 (463,885 x P3).
But he cited Discaya’s use of large billboards, digital advertisements, and rallies attended by famous personalities, adding that some digital ads appeared to have been paid for by Discaya.
According to Sotto, he earlier requested a copy of Discaya’s Soce and “it would appear that Respondent omitted matters about her campaign contributions and expenses and such omission would render the said Soce to be false in a material respect.”
Quoting the document, Sotto said her total declared expenditures amounted to only P895,000 and were used only on “stationery, printing and distribution of printed materials relative to [her] candidacy.”
Discaya, he said, did not declare the digital ads and billboards that she had paid for, as well as the contributions or expenses related to her political rallies and campaign travels.
‘Blatant violation’
Speaking to reporters after the filing, Sotto said “I think it’s a clear and blatant violation of the election law. In fact, I don’t want to do this, but we want everyone in Pasig City to abide by the law. You need to obey the election laws.”
“For me, this is a statement for Pasig City to follow the law. This is also a message for those who are running in the barangay elections and in the 2028 elections, that anyone eligible and qualified can run but they should follow the law. Or else, they will be held liable,” he added.
