Hardened by a childhood spent living in a church and mopping its floors for tuition, Curlee Discaya learned early how to chase systems that reward silent ambition.
He rarely spoke in public, even after he began overseeing projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways.
For years, Curlee operated just beneath the radar while his wife Sarah Discaya curated their firms’ image and fielded interviews about their supposed rags-to-riches story.
It wasn’t until Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto publicly referred to him as the “MisterMind” behind anomalous flood control projects that the rest of the country began giving him a double take.
The couple’s now-infamous garage vlog, featuring a glut of nearly 40 luxury cars parked in clinical precision, resurfaced almost a year after it was uploaded on Julius Babao's YouTube channel.
It triggered a probe into their dealings that led to Sarah’s summons before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
The Discayas had built a spiderweb of firms—Alpha & Omega, St. Gerrard, Amethyst Horizon, among others—all sharing one address, one auditor, and one tight-knit list of family shareholders.
How long did the system look the other way? How many warnings were disguised as progress? And how did the whole thing simmer behind a cloak of pretense?
At present, Curlee and his wife Sarah are in the hot seat.
Once low-key and operating behind the scenes, they are suddenly the face of the controversy.
Read: Sarah at Curlee Discaya, minumulto ng pagpapakita nila ng yaman
EARLY LIFE
Full Name
His full name is Pacifico Discaya II, though he is more widely recognized by his nickname, Curlee.
His supporters call him “Kuya Curlee.”
Birthday, Age, Zodiac Signs
Curlee was born on May 15, 1975.
As a Taurus born in the Year of the Wood Rabbit, his signs align with someone often described as methodical, private, and materially grounded.
When he turned 50 in 2025, three days after the midterm elections where his wife Sarah ran for the mayoral post of Pasig City, she dedicated a post in his honor, writing: “Happy Birthday, Curlee — my love, ally, and partner.
“Of the many requests you can make, you have only chosen one: ‘Don’t hold a lavish party for me — let’s use it to help others.’
“You didn’t want the celebration for yourself — you choose to be a blessing to others on the day of your birth. And now, I will fulfill your wish.
“We will continue to help, giving hope, and make other people smile — particularly the poor and needy.
“Because for you, true happiness can be attained through giving.”
Sarah added that Curlee wanted to pursue medical missions and other charitable acts at this stage of his life.
In line with that wish, he reportedly marked the occasion by distributing rice and cash aid to indigent residents of Pasig, while offering a modest spread of pancit bihon and pork barbecue to his employees.
For his part, he was quoted as saying: “Instead of preparing a grand celebration for me, I preferred to give to our more needy countrymen.”
Hometown
Though often associated with Pasig’s business districts, Curlee came from one of its most flood-prone and vulnerable areas—the Manggahan Floodway, an artificially constructed waterway that runs through Pasig and Taytay.
They were situated on the east bank, the northern side of the floodway channel that was later redeveloped into the East Bank Linear Park and Skate Park after Typhoon Ondoy in 2009 displaced many families.
Long before he was tied to flood control contracts, Curlee knew firsthand what it meant to live at the mercy of typhoons.
Family
Curlee’s family, by his own account, was rooted in the margins.
While Curlee and his brother were taken in by priests of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Pasig, his parents and remaining siblings stayed on the east bank of the Manggahan Floodway.
It was inside the church that, according to Curlee, he scrubbed floors, polished pews, and served as an altar boy.
He would then ask the priests if he could pack the donated fruits or food items that were about to spoil, so he could bring them back to his family, who were still informal settlers at the time.
During his interview on Julius Babao’s YouTube channel, Curlee revealed: “Every other day, iniipon ko yung mga alay tapos tinatanong ko yung mga pari, 'Kailangan pa ba ito Father, yung mga pagkain [canned goods] na ito?'
“Siyempre, di naman nila kailangan kasi sagana naman sila sa pagkain. So, hinihingi ko yun, inuuwi ko sa mga kapatid ko at sa nanay ko para makatikim sila ng masarap na pagkain.”
EDUCATION
Curlee is believed to be the only college graduate in his family—an achievement reportedly made possible by the support of priests who housed him during his youth in exchange for custodial work.
While the specifics of his degree remain unverified, public narratives and social chatter paint a picture of a man who worked his way through school
His now-private Facebook profile also listed “Rizal High School Annex – Sagad” as part of his academic background.
In Julius's vlog, Sarah mentioned that they both went to Pasig Catholic College (PCC).
Notably, in a resurfaced comment from a civil engineering Facebook group, Curlee himself allegedly stated that he “never studied engineering,” suggesting his college course was in a different field altogether.
CAREER
Aspiring Priest
Before entering government work, Curlee once considered joining the priesthood.
He admitted that the thought wasn’t driven by religious calling, but by survival.
“Dati nag-isip talaga ako na maging pari, kasi nakikita ko yung mga pari napaka-simple nila, parang wala silang problema.
“Pero, ang paraan ko nun para mag-isip ng pagiging pari ay para takasan ang kahirapan.
“Sabi ko, 'Pag naging pari ako, wala na akong problema. Wala akong asawa, wala akong anak.
“Ang gagawin ko na lang, tutulong na lang ako nang tutulong sa nanay ko at sa mga kapatid ko.”
He continued: “Para yung kinikita ko bilang pari o kung anumang klaseng donasyon, ibibigay ko na lang dun sa mga kapatid ko na talagang naghihirap.
“So, yun talaga ang tunay na plan ko. Parang masama nga yung layunin ko, e, takasan ang kahirapan, hindi for the purpose of serving.”
Contractor
Still according to Julius's vlog, Curlee began his professional journey in government, taking on supervisory responsibilities at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Though his exact title has never been publicly disclosed, he was reportedly involved in implementing public infrastructure projects, particularly those related to flood control.
His time at the DPWH gave him firsthand insight into how the country’s procurement systems worked, and more importantly, how contracts were distributed.
Eventually, Curlee transitioned into the private sector, taking on leadership roles in several construction firms that would later secure a significant share of Metro Manila’s infrastructure projects.
Among them was Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corporation, where he is listed as the authorized managing officer, as well as other entities like St. Gerrard, Amethyst Horizon, and St. Timothy.
“Sa employee side namin, siyempre, the more na gumaganda yung ano namin, sumusunod na kami nang sumusunod sa batas,” he said proudly of their family-owned companies.
“Kadalasan kasi ng mga construction company, palibhasa ang tawag nila dun ay project-based, hindi sila sumusunod sa batas dahil iniisip nila, pag tapos na ang project, hiwalay-hiwalay na tayo.
“Sa amin, hindi po. Dahil tuluy-tuloy naman yung mga projects namin, talagang ginagawa naming regular kaagad yung mga tao namin.”
These companies, many of them registered to a single address and operated by close relatives, enabled the Discaya family to establish a foothold in public works contracting across multiple cities and regions.
Read: Discaya compound sa Pasig, sinugod ng mga nagpoprotesta
PERSONAL LIFE
Curlee's relationship to Sarah Cruz Discaya
In Julius's vlog, Sarah said she met Curlee at the PCC. They were classmates.
Their first date took place at the campus's canteen.
During the courting stage, Curlee would often gift Sarah with flowers that he plucked straight from church.
“Dati ang pinipitas ko lang na binibigay sa kanya, yung mga bulaklak na tinutusok sa simbahan,” he recalled.
“Kasi, yung sa paanan nung Nazareno at saka ni Mama Mary, ang daming tinutusok na mga bulaklak dun, mga flowers, ang gaganda.
“Tuwing hapon, ang gagawin ko, pipiliin ko yung hindi pa nalalanta na bulaklak, iipunin ko yun.”
He added: “Siguro di naman po siya [Mama Mary] magagalit kasi may maganda akong intention.
“Nung una, wala akong pambili ng bulaklak. At saka, ibibigay ko naman sa taong mahal ko, e, siguro, matutuwa na rin si Lord nung ginawa ko na yun.
“At saka naman kesa mabulok, pipitasin din yun at itatapon. So ako, hangga't di pa nabubulok, pinitas ko na, kinuha ko.
“Nakalibre ako. Dahil nung una, yung nagtusok noon, sigurado ako, gumastos ng pambili yun ng bulaklak para itusok. Tapos ako naman, kinuha ko para ibigay sa kanya [Sarah].”
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, Curlee and Sarah have four children, with the eldest—Gerard—currently studying at Mapúa University, as Sarah mentioned in one of the vlogs she appeared in.
They held a civil ceremony in 2003, followed by a church wedding 13 years later in 2016.
The couple celebrates their wedding anniversary every January 23—based on a post that appeared on the Facebook page of Team Kaya This, a dedicated campaign account for Sarah that has since been deleted.
Obsession with feng shui
Although he once dreamed of becoming a priest, Curlee Discaya has since developed a deep and costly fascination with feng shui.
Despite Catholic teachings discouraging superstition, he speaks with conviction about the magnetic pull of lucky charms, energy flow, and annual placements of objects tied to prosperity.
A friend introduced him and Sarah to a Chinese feng shui practitioner, from whom they bought a few art pieces worth PHP10,000 each.
At first, he said, they noticed small changes—money arriving just when they were running low and delayed payments were suddenly getting cleared.
Encouraged by these coincidences, Curlee doubled down.
In 2020, the couple began arguing over the increasing expenses tied to feng shui items, which had grown to PHP20,000.
But he insisted: “Ang ganda ng result so, ang nangyari nung sumunod na taon, umabot na kami ng PHP100,000 sa pagbili ng iba't ibang klase ng feng shui items para ilagay dito sa north, south, west, east.
“Iba't ibang klase ng placement yun. Taun-taon, pinapalitan kasi yun.”
He further said in the vlog: “Napansin namin talagang kakaiba talaga, e. Parang may hatak talaga na parang ang gaan ng dating.
“Pag tagal, umabot na kami ng million sa pagbili ng iba't ibang art ng feng shui.
"Ngayon nagtaka ako, the more na gumagastos kami sa feng shui, ba't parang ang ganda ng pasok ulit?
“Gusto ko malalaki na para malaking suwerte ang dumating.”
Despite the extravagance, he maintained that their Catholic faith remains intact: “Sa kabila ng lahat ng iyon, ang faith pa namin kay Lord, di naman talaga nawala.
“Kasi, sabi nila, feng shui is science. Sabi ko, wala namang masama maniwala sa suwerte.”
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.
Tallying up the their 38-vehicle fleet—from PHP700,000 farm-ready moon buggies to the PHP59-million Rolls-Royce Cullinan—the combined garage value falls somewhere between PHP299 million and PHP405 million.
At one point, Curlee mentioned fuel use: “Di na namin maramdaman kasi paiba-iba nga ng sasakyan, kaya di namin alam kung gaano kalakas kumonsumo.”
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.
Read: All 38 featured vehicles of the Discaya family and their prices
Flood control projects
Collectively, the firms owned by the Discayas secured approximately PHP31 billion worth of flood-control contracts between 2022 and 2025, according to investigative reports.
Business filings and financial investigations revealed a tightly consolidated corporate network: all firms share the same auditor (Conrado M. Briones), the same business address, and are controlled by a close circle of family shareholders.
The result was a multilayered network of companies that frequently bid on, and often won, the same flood control projects, raising serious concerns about collusion and procurement malpractice.
The scheme began to unravel at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on September 1, 2025.
Sarah admitted that Curlee’s name appeared on calling cards for all the family’s contracting firms, with Sen. Risa Hontiveros presenting a slide of these calling cards to underline his centralized role.
This scrutiny coincided with regulatory repercussions: on September 3–4, 2025, the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board revoked the licenses of nine Discaya-linked firms, citing violations related to joint bidding schemes that undermined public procurement transparency.
Despite maintaining a low media profile, Curlee’s covert influence became unignorable when Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto publicly referred to him as the “MisterMind” behind anomalous flood-control deals.
The label now stuck with netizens, echoed across public discourse and social platforms.