ILOILO City – Publicly accessible records from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) indicate that one of the nine firms linked to the Discaya couple obtained its first ever Iloilo City project way back in 2017.
Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corporation — among the Discaya-connected firms — was awarded the Construction of Slope Protection and Improvement along the Iloilo River Right Bank (Muelle Loney Bridge [Rizal] to Muelle Loney Bridge [Drilon]).
The project, worth P75.4 million, was funded under the Congress-approved General Appropriations Act of 2017. At the time, Iloilo City’s representative in Congress was Jerry Treñas, who was then serving his third term (2016–2019).
Project construction began on June 15, 2017 after a public bidding by the DPWH, and was completed on January 5, 2019.
The Discayas appeared in a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on September 8, 2025 where Curlee Discaya alleged that certain officials and lawmakers benefited from kickbacks in flood control projects.
Among others, he alleged that Cong. Jojo Ang of Uswag Ilonggo party-list sought up to 25 percent commissions, a claim the party-list lawmaker has categorically denied.
At present, another Discaya firm — Amethyst Horizon Builders and General Contractor, Inc. — is handling Phase II of a new Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Iloilo City District Jail in Leganes, Iloilo valued at P154.4 million and slated for completion on October 5, 2025.
The relocation of the facility from Barangay Ungka, Jaro district to Leganes was pursued during Jerry Treñas’ mayoralty. The city government purchased a two-hectare property in Barangay Buntatala, Leganes in 2022 and the lot was donated by the city government to the BJMP.
On June 6, 2024 Cong. Ang spearheaded the groundbreaking for the new district jail project.
Meanwhile, current Mayor Raisa Treñas has raised concerns over the performance of some Discaya-linked contractors involved in flood control projects.
After personally inspecting several sites recently, she remarked that “some of the projects are the main reasons kung bakit nagko-cause din ng baha dito” — even though several of these projects remain unfinished.
From 2024 to 2025, a total of 21 flood control projects in Iloilo City are funded under the national budget. Three have been completed, while 18 remain ongoing./PN
