FOR THE PAST three months, the name Sarah Discaya has become a byword — from lavish lifestyle, local politics to the controversial ghost government flood control projects.
Probably because they’re super rich, or maybe her candid admission of buying a P50-million car (on top of 40 other luxury vehicles) because it comes with a free umbrella.
Amid the worst flood control scandal in the Philippines, Sarah’s name appeared in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s list of contractors behind the government’s spurious flood control program.
Who’s Sarah Discaya, anyway?
SARAH DISCAYA WHO?
Sarah’s full name is Cezarah Rowena Cruz-Discaya. She had the first taste of national prominence when broadcast journalists Korina Sanchez and Julius Babao featured her and husband Curlee in a television program.
It was her first grand display of the wealth which he claimed would have been possible if not for the infrastructure project contracts awarded by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Months later, Sarah entered politics and ran for mayor against incumbent Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto. During the campaign, Sarah allegedly spent beyond what is allowed under the Omnibus Election Code.
However, not even lavish election campaign spending seemed enough. She lost the race, miserably.
BORN IN LONDON
Sarah was born in London (United Kingdom) on November 9, 1976. Hence, she is a British national by birth, according to London-based retired Filipino journalist Gene Alcantara, who now works as immigration law practitioner.
According to Alcantara, Sara was born Cezarah Rowena Juan Muyuela at the London Borough of Hounslow, Middlesex in October 1976. She’s a daughter of Sally Juan and Cesar Muyuela.
Researching through the England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2017, Alcantara stumbled upon something unusual even as he claimed that Sarah appears to have two entries for Births registered October, November, and December 1976.
Records yielded Cezarah Rowena Juan, Hounslow and Cezarah Rowena Juan Muyuela, Hounslow.
Her sister Analiza Rowena Juan has an entry for Births registered July, August, and September 1978. Her mom worked as a chambermaid while her dad was a waiter in London.
“As they were born in the UK in the 1970s, the sisters would have acquired British nationality,” Alcantara wrote on his Facebook post.
EDUCATION & WORK
Sarah completed her formative education (primary and secondary schooling) in London.
In time, she flew 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 with a major in Computer Management.
Soon after graduation, Sarah joined the working class as a minimum-wage earner. It was not certain though what particular job it was. By her own admission, Sarah also worked as a dental receptionist and orthodontic nurse.
From there, she moved through roles as communications specialist, marketing specialist, recruitment specialist, and liaison officer. Sarah also spent a year as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, instructing multilingual students.
AMBITIOUS SARAH
Poverty however shoved Sarah and husband Curlee to approach former Pasig City Mayor Vicene Eusebio for help. To cut the long story short, the Eusebio patriarch gave them something to start with — a contract embarking on a local infrastructure project.
The rest is history. The couple became one of the biggest contractors for government infrastructure projects — until they were flagged for ghost projects.
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. Nakita namin on PhilGEPS na may mga projects na pwede 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.
By her own admission, the Discayas owned or controlled nine companies which sometimes bid against each other, raising questions about conflicts of interest.