Brittle foundations make fragile legacies.
The phrase could well describe poorly planned flood control projects that fail at the first onslaught of a typhoon.
Just as easily, it could apply to the lives of those who build wealth on unstable ground.
There are claims of fortunes amassed with questionable extravagance, drawing public attention.
One of the most prominent names linked to the controversy is Sarah Discaya.
Until recently, she was known mainly within business circles as the co-owner of construction firms closely linked to government flood-control projects.
Then, in September 2024, she and her husband, Curlee Discaya, poleaxed the public imagination when a YouTube vlog of their garage revealed a staggering fleet of nearly 40 luxury vehicles—with a combined estimated value of around PHP405 million.
That glimpse into the couple’s opulent lifestyle could have remained a curiosity swallowed by the soporific churn of lifestyle programming.
But it didn’t.
Instead, it provoked abjection about the undercurrents of money, power, and politics flowing in the country’s public infrastructure contracts.
It stirred questions that eventually brought Sarah before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on September 1, 2025.
This profile traces her journey from a modest life in London to the contested wealth of her family’s construction empire.
The story ends where it began—with a storm—and the lingering question of whether her foundations will hold.
Read: Mayor Vico Sotto nag-react sa pagharap ni Sarah Discaya sa Senado
EARLY LIFE
Full Name
Her full name is Cezarah Rowena Cruz Discaya, though she is more widely recognized by her nickname, Sarah.
Her supporters call her “Ate Sarah.”
Birthday, Age, Zodiac Signs
Born on November 9, 1976, Sarah is set to turn 49 before the year ends.
Astrologically, that makes her a Scorpio—intense, determined, and magnetic.
While in the Chinese zodiac, she is a Dragon, a sign often linked with ambition and grand undertakings.
Hometown
Reports from Manila Standard and Bilyonaryo News Channel trace her origins to London, United Kingdom, making her a British national by birth.
London, a global Mecca of finance, arts, and culture, could not be farther from the flood-prone barangays of Bulacan and the contracting halls of the DPWH where she would eventually stake her career.
Family
Accounts of her family background vary.
Reports claimed her mother worked as a chambermaid in London while her father waited tables at a hotel.
A sister named Liza was mentioned in the reports and features.
However, during the September 1 senate hearing, Sarah herself provided a different picture under oath: “My father was a contractor before for LGU.”
Beyond that, she shared nothing more about her maiden family.
EDUCATION
Sarah’s formative education took wing in London, where she completed her primary and secondary schooling.
Eventually, she returned to the Philippines, enrolling first at La Consolacion College, where she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Management of Service Institution, for two years.
She later transferred to Pasig Catholic College, earning a degree in Business Administration major in Computer Management.
CAREER
Minimum-wage worker
Sarah began her professional life in 1998 as a minimum-wage on-the-job trainee while still in college.
Her early posts included work as a dental receptionist and orthodontic nurse, as she recalled at the senate hearing.
From there, she moved through roles as communications specialist, marketing specialist, recruitment specialist, and liaison officer.
She also spent a year as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, instructing multilingual students.
Back then, she was a determined worker who eked out a living across industries, gradually building a résumé of diverse skills.
Contractor
Her fortunes picked up steam when she pivoted to the construction industry.
Rising from administrative roles, Sarah eventually became the chief financial officer and marketing manager of contracting firms.
At the Senate hearing, Senator Jinggoy Estrada pressed her on how she entered the contracting industry, particularly in relation to the Department of Public Works and Highways or DPWH.
Sarah replied candidly: “Wala naman po [no one influenced me]. Nakita namin on PhilGEPS na may mga projects na puwede pala mag-join.
“So, we joined the bidding na we know we were qualified for.”
The Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) is the central portal for government procurement of common-use supplies.
According to its guidelines, bidding involves five steps:
- Buyer-Supplier Search
- Pre-Bidding Conference
- Purchase and Submission of Bidding Documents
- Opening and Evaluation of Bids
- Notice of Award and Project Execution
Sarah and her family would eventually dominate this space.
By her own admission, the Discayas owned or controlled nine companies:
- Alpha & Omega General Contractor and Development Corporation (still owned by the family)
- St. Gerrard General Contractor and Development Corporation
- St. Timothy Construction Corporation
- Elite General Contractor and Development Corporation
- St. Matthew General Contractor & Development
- Great Pacific Builders and General Contractor
- YPR General Contractor and Construction Supply
- Amethyst Horizon Builders and General Contractor & Development Corporation
- Way Maker OPC
These firms sometimes bid against each other, raising questions about conflicts of interest.
Sarah argued at the Senate that such practices were within procurement rules, though senators suggested the tactic blurred ethical lines.
Read: All 38 featured vehicles of the Discaya family and their prices
Pasig City Mayoral Candidate
In the 2025 midterm election, Sarah announced her candidacy for mayor of Pasig City.
Her campaign had its peculiarities: she admitted it would be her first time voting, explaining she only recently succeeded in registering.
She told media in a video uploaded by Rappler on May 12, 2025: “Actually, I enjoyed the journey so much.
“Meeting new people, lalo na nalalaman mo kung ano yung mga kalagayan ng mga tao. At minsan, nakaka-relate ka kasi once upon a time, napagdaanan mo rin.”
Critics accused her of running to recoup campaign expenses through government projects, which she quickly rebuffed: “Kayo po ba, pag nagbigay kayo ng regalo, binabawi niyo po ba?
“Pangalawa, siyempre, the good Lord has given me and my family good health. Okay na ako dun, di naman ako greedy.
“Kasi nobody knows my personality, e. So, siguro dun pa lang, okay na ako. So, yung 'babawiin,' it's not in my vocabulary.”
Her campaign materials outlined these plans:
- An 11-story university and additional school buildings
- A modern hospital on par with private facilities
- Vertical housing projects
- A transport terminal and vertical parking facilities
- A sensor-based traffic system
- Improved flood control management
- Aerial firefighting capacity and expanded rescue services
- A new road and esplanade near the Pasig River
- Digitalized city services, city-wide WiFi, and an anti-crime CCTV command center
PERSONAL LIFE
Sarah's marriage to Curlee Discaya
Sarah’s interview with Julius Babao in August 2024 revealed that she and Curlee met at Pasig Catholic College (PCC).
"Naging kaklase ko siya," Sarah began, before adding that she was often "pinagtatawanan ako" because of her "distinguishable accent."
Not long after, Sarah said, Curlee approached her to introduce himself.
In the same interview, Curlee admitted that he was initially hesitant to pursue her due to his financial situation: "walang-wala sa buhay dati..."
When he finally did, he shared, "Nilakasan ko lang din ang loob ko na magpakilala sa kanya."
Columnist Antonio Montalvan II wrote in an article published on verafiles.org, a nonstock, nonprofit media organization, that it was after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 when Sarah, her sister, and their mother returned to the Philippines.
Back in Pasig, Sarah met Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II, whom Montalvan described as an “unemployed man.”
At the time, the couple was reportedly starting a family and "living dependently with Sarah’s mother" when they sought assistance from a maternal uncle—former Pasig Mayor Vicente P. Eusebio.
According to Montalvan, Vicente was the half-brother of Sarah’s mother and is said to have helped the couple gain a foothold in the construction industry.
But in an article published by the Manila Tribune on August 4, 2024, Sarah denied any ties to the Eusebio family, insisting that her construction firm is not a front for them.
Together, Sarah and Curlee have four children, with the eldest currently studying at Mapúa University, as Sarah mentioned in one of the vlogs she appeared in.
The couple celebrates their wedding anniversary every January 23—based on a post that appeared on the Facebook page of Team Kaya, a dedicated campaign account for Sarah that has since been deleted.
CONTROVERSIES
Flaunting excessive wealth
In September 2024, Julius Babao featured the garage of the Discayas on his YouTube channel.
The cars ranged from modest farm-ready units to ostentatious Rolls-Royces, with Sarah gleefully narrating the whims behind each purchase: a preferred color, a quirky table, or even an umbrella holder.
Among the priciest vehicles in Sarah and Curlee Discaya's nearly 40-car garage are the Cadillac Escalade (PHP17.8–19.8 million each), a Rolls-Royce Cullinan (PHP33–58.9 million), and a Bentley Bentayga (PHP14.5–21 million).
The vlog became the flashpoint.
Almost exactly a year after it was uploaded, in August 2025, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto publicly criticized veteran journalists for allegedly accepting payments in exchange for features.
The screenshots he used to illustrate his point were from the interviews of Sarah and Curlee Discaya with Julius Babao and Korina Sanchez, respectively.
Both journalists denied the allegations.
Netizens framed the Discaya couple as symbols of ill-gotten wealth, flaunting umbrella holders in Rolls-Royces while the public waded through waist-deep floodwaters.
Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Hearing
The controversy culminated in the September 1, 2025 hearing.
Senators grilled Sarah about alleged ghost projects and her family’s nine companies.
She admitted that Alpha & Omega alone bid on 491 flood control projects in 2022, winning 71.
She denied any involvement in ghost projects or special ties with the DPWH stating: “We are no longer part of these companies.
“Some of these companies, we’ve divested from those companies, so, I am directly only with Alpha and Omega.”
Senators remained skeptical, citing evidence of family members holding executive posts across the firms and Curlee Discaya using multiple business cards.
Senator Tito Sotto pressed her on a viral claim that she made her first billion from DPWH contracts.
Sarah countered that the video had been spliced, adding: “For the knowledge of everyone, St. Gerrard, Alpha & Omega—we have been in the construction business for 23 years. So, I would presume na in the 23 years, puwede naman siguro kami po kumita.”
She also answered Sen. Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa's probe on the start of Sarah's DPWH career track, saying, “Some time in 2012, we started with DPWH.
“We started with joining biddings. Pero, prior to that, we were with local government...”
Asked what year she and her company began handling flood control projects, she answered, “Siguro mga 2016 onwards. Yes po, 2016 onwards po.”
As the hearings continue, attention turns to the scale of the Discayas’ rise and the role of political connections.
Are decades of unchecked contracting finally catching up with those involved? The nation watches closely.
Read: Sarah at Curlee Discaya, minumulto ng pagpapakita nila ng yaman