The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee cited contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II in contempt on Thursday after senators found he lied about why his wife, Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya, failed to attend a hearing on alleged anomalies in flood control projects.
The panel’s chairman, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, approved Sen. Raffy Tulfo’s motion for contempt after Discaya claimed his wife missed the hearing due to a heart condition—a statement the senators determined was a lie.
In a letter to the committee, Sarah stated her reason for absence was a pre-scheduled meeting with her employees, contradicting her husband’s claim of illness.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the committee will decide later on what contempt punishment Curlee will face.
The committee also issued a subpoena for former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, who was absent from the hearing.
Sen. Rodante Marcoleta moved to subpoena Cabral, stating she “has a lot of explaining to do” about reported insertions in the DPWH budget on the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP). Sen. Erwin Tulfo seconded the motion.
” I don’t think her resignation will shield her from her responsibility. There are personal questions that we need to ask her,” Marcoleta said.
Cabral resigned from the DPWH after Lacson alleged she called a staff member of Sotto to offer budget insertions in the 2026 NEP.
