Discaya renovated Romualdez’s Forbes Park home — eyewitnesses

Curlee Discaya denies the witnesses’ data, saying he has by no means been to South Forbes park

MANILA, Philippines – Two witnesses informed the Senate blue ribbon committee on Monday, January 19, that controversial contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya renovated a home in Forbes Park in Makati in 2023 for the supposed new proprietor, Leyte 1st District Consultant Martin Romualdez, presidential cousin and Home speaker on the time.

The witnesses, whom Senate blue ribbon committee chairman Panfilo Lacson referred to by their aliases “Pleasure” and “Marie,” went to the Senate on Monday to recount how they got here to satisfy Discaya on the 3,196-square-meter home and lot in Forbes Park, Makati. They had been the family workers of businessman Ricardo Ocampo, who was renting the home earlier than it was purchased by the brand new homeowners.

Rappler has confirmed by means of company filings that the brand new proprietor of the property at 30 Tamarind Street, Forbes Park, is an organization owned by Jose Raulito Paras, Romualdez’s enterprise affiliate and fraternity brother.

The witnesses’ testimony, along with the confirmed possession, present the primary direct hyperlinks between Romualdez and the Discayas. Beforehand, the one connection had been Curlee Discaya’s testimony that lawmakers had demanded kickbacks from them in Romualdez’s identify, a declare the previous Home speaker has denied. Curlee has admitted to delivering kickbacks to public officers, claiming that it was the one manner they might safe initiatives.

Discaya renovated the Forbes home

The 2 workers mentioned throughout the listening to that the home their boss was renting had been bought to a different proprietor. When their boss was transferring out, the 2 workers met a dealer and a contractor. They had been there to “oversee us transfer out as they ready to right away proceed with the renovations on the property,” they mentioned of their affidavit.

“We already talked about to our boss na nung lumabas sa TV si Mr Discaya, sabi ko sa boss ko, tsaka sa colleague ko, Ma’am tingnan mo ‘tong maigi, hindi ba ito ang contractor na pinakilala sa atin [ng broker] and we each agreed it was him,” mentioned one of many two witnesses.

(We already talked about to our boss that after we noticed Mr. Discaya on tv, I informed my boss and my colleague, “Ma’am, have a look at him carefully, wasn’t he the contractor launched to us by the dealer?” and we each agreed it was him.)

The witness mentioned they met Discaya on February 1 and a couple of, 2024. The witnesses mentioned they had been making an attempt to cut price for extra time to maneuver out, to which Discaya allegedly mentioned he was simply following the deadline of the brand new homeowners. When the witnesses requested who the brand new homeowners are so they might immediately coordinate, Discaya allegedly mentioned, “Si Romualdez ang nakabili (Romualdez purchased it).”

In the course of the listening to, Lacson requested the 2 witnesses, who had been carrying face masks to cover their faces, to strategy Discaya within the room to verify if he was certainly the contractor they met. The 2 ladies approached Discaya.

Discaya requested Lacson to order the witnesses to take away their face protecting so he might correctly determine them as a result of he didn’t keep in mind having met them. The senator rejected the request, saying it the burden was on Discaya to refute their claims.

Discaya denied the data saying he has by no means been in South Forbes park. “Hindi pa ako nakapasok ng South Forbes park (I’ve not entered South Forbes Park),” mentioned Discaya.

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson mentioned Discaya’s denial is famous.

Curlee and his spouse Sarah are among the many greatest contractors of the Division of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), notably for flood management initiatives. A few of their initiatives are allegedly substandard, or don’t exist in any respect. They’ve to this point failed of their bid to grow to be protected state witnesses. Sarah Discaya is in jail in Cebu, the place she faces expenses of graft and malversation over an alleged ghost mission there. The choose didn’t set bail.

To date, resigned congressman Zaldy Co and his supposed former bodyguard Orly Guteza have claimed delivering kickbacks to Romualdez, which the previous speaker additionally denied. Co is in hiding, evading a warrant for graft over a substandard mission in Oriental Mindoro. – Rappler.com