Two individuals were cited in contempt by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee during its Thursday hearing—contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II and former DPWH Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara—after the panel questioned the credibility of their testimonies on alleged irregularities in infrastructure projects.
The committee, led by Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, approved the motion filed by Senator Raffy Tulfo against Discaya. The move came after Discaya claimed that his wife and business partner, Sarah, could not attend the hearing due to a heart condition. However, Lacson read out a letter from Sarah herself that cited a conflicting reason: a previously scheduled meeting with her staff.
Senator Erwin Tulfo called out the contradiction with strong words: “Niloloko mo kami. You lied!”
When asked to explain, Discaya insisted that his wife suffers from diabetes and hypertension, requiring maintenance medications. But the committee was visibly unconvinced, prompting the contempt citation.
In a separate exchange, Alcantara was also held in contempt after repeatedly denying knowledge of the so-called ghost projects in Bulacan, despite being the district engineer at the time.
Senator Erwin Tulfo expressed disbelief:
“Dalawang hearing na itong nagsisinungaling. Sa mga taong nasa baba, lahat may kasalanan, ikaw wala. District engineer ka, hindi mo alam na may ghost projects?”
Alcantara stood firm on his defense, stating:
“Talaga pong wala akong alam diyan. Kami po ay nag-i-implement lang ng mga project na nasa GAA.”
