By Perfecto T. Raymundo, Jr.
PASIG CITY — St. Gerrard Construction (SGC) President Curlee Discaya on Wednesday (April 30) said that they will not take part in the local infrastructure projects if his wife Ate Sarah Discaya gets elected Pasig City Mayor in the May 12 midterm elections.
The City Government of Pasig has an average annual executive budget of P17.2 billion for the last three years.
In an interview, Discaya said “our involvement in the construction of local infrastructure projects will not happen because we have the so-called law, RA 9184 (Government Procurement Reform Act) which prohibits ‘conflict of interest’ or affinity until the third degree of consanguinity.”
“With this, you are prohibited to participate in the bidding because in your participation in the bidding alone, you can already be charged with six years’ imprisonment,” he added.
Discaya explained that conflict of interest means that as if you jumped into boiling oil, as if you are fried yourself because it is really prohibited.
“Even your subsidiary companies are also prohibited because this is conflict of interest,” he added.
Discaya stressed “Ate Sarah will not do that (conflict of interest) because if you are also the contractor, if we will really insist, eh her government will be incompetent if you are also the one who will construct that, because how can you scold yourself and how can you block yourself if it is also you.”
*Secondly, our market in the national is extensive. Our company can construct billions pesos (worth of projects) because we are a quadruple-A compan,” he said.
It can be noted that SGC is one of the more than 30 quadruple-A companies in the Philippines.
“Let us just give (local infra projects) to small contractors here in Pasig. Let us allow them to participate in the biddings there so that our small contractors here in Pasig will have jobs and they can provide more jobs here in the city,” Discaya said.
“Let us allow them (contractors) to have the opportunity. They fight so long as they provide quality, good, and inexpensive price. They bid properly and correctly, eh that will be won by all Pasiguenos” he added. ###
