By Perfecto T. Raymundo, Jr.
PASIG CITY — Cezarah “Ate Sarah” Discaya on Monday (Oct. 7) filed her Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for Mayor after a church mass and simple festivity with several thousands of supporters whose struggle for better life, she said, “has inspired me to run for mayor.”
Discaya is the Chief Financial Officer of St. Gerrard Construction (SGC), a “Quadruple A” construction company, which is one of the only 41 companies in the Philippines with such a category.
She is more popularly known in Pasig as Ate Sarah, businesswoman, who visits underprivileged and low-income communities in the city for her regular charity works.
Her longtime medical mission and distribution of all kinds of assistance to needy Pasigueños, who are mostly indigents, have prompted many sectoral organizations to convince her to enter politics through the mayoralty race.
“With hard-earned experiences in our established businesses, we have much to contribute in transforming Pasig into a Smart City, where technology and data are being optimized to improve the life of the Pasigueños,” Discaya said.
Discaya cited “home” for the marginal renters and informal settlers in Pasig as one of her main agenda and would-be legacy once they’re converted into homeowners.
“Not just a mass housing project, but a sustainable ‘home for the homeless program’ for deserving Pasigueños where the awardees are provided with basic utilities and amenities and their means of economic survival,” Discaya emphasized, explaining that, a house is not a home without an employment or income opportunities for occupants.
As a candidate for mayor, the platform of Discaya, whose team is composed of lawyers and prominent personalities and local leaders, focuses primarily on Smart healthcare agenda, quality education program in Smart schools, safe and protected neighborhood where local law enforcers capitalize on technology and data in preserving peace and order and infrastructure projects which are most needed by the Pasigueños, like multi-level parking buildings to ease the streets of traffic congestion.
Discaya expounded that her dream to transform Pasig into Smart City is data and technology driven and, if elected, Team Sarah’s action plans are focused on improving the life of her fellow Pasiguenos with state-of-the-art infrastructure such as the following:
— Smart hospitals for quality healthcare, — Smart schools for quality education,
— Smart facilities of law enforcers for maintaining peace and order,
— Smart homes with income opportunities for occupants, and
— Smart city hall to be constructed with reasonably lower budget for honest and dedicated public servants of the Pasigueños.
Actress Ara Mina also filed her COC for Councilor of the Second District of Pasig as well as Miss Universe Philippines national director Shamcey Supsup-Lee.
Atty. Christian “Ian” Sia will run for Congressman, Discaya for Mayor, and Christian “Iyo” Caruncho Bernardo for Vice Mayor.
The others who filed their respective COCs were for First District Councilors:
— Atty. Tantan Ambrosio Reyes,
— Kap Jess Gaviola,
— Kap Ron Angeles,
— Kap JR Samson, and
— Kap Richie Pua.
For Second District Councilors are:
— Mario “Junjun” Concepcion,
— Steve De Asis,
— Willy Sityar, and
— Kaye dela Cruz.
