MANILA, Philippines – Pasig City mayoral candidate Sarah Discaya insisted on Friday, April 11, that she is no longer affiliated with St. Timothy Construction, a former contractor of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that pulled out of the deal following an ultimatum issued by the poll body in October 2024.
In her camp’s reply to Rappler that was submitted to the Comelec, she said she abandoned her shares in the company seven years ago. Securities and Exchange Commission documents list her as an incorporator or a co-founder of the firm.
“In the case of the claimant, she is indeed an incorporator of [St. Timothy] but she is not an owner anymore since she divested her interest therefrom in 2018,” her verify claim read.
In February 2024, the joint venture of South Korean firm Miru and three other local firms, including St. Timothy, won the P18-billion contract for the delivery of new automated counting machines for the 2025 elections.
On the third day of filing of certificates of candidacy in October 2024, Comelec Chairman George Garcia announced the withdrawal of St. Timothy from the joint venture. He said he had received reports that one of its owners would run in the 2025 elections.
Garcia told reporters at the time that he gave St. Timothy two options: stay with the joint venture but face the possibility of its owner being slapped with a disqualification case, or pull out of the joint venture if its owner insisted on running.
Days before the withdrawal, Discaya announced her bid for Pasig City mayor. Her opponent, incumbent Vico Sotto, also later linked Discaya to St. Timothy.
An investigative report by election watchdog Right to Know, Right Now! (R2KRN) Coalition in June 2024 also established her family’s ownership of St. Timothy’s three affiliate companies, namely St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor and Development Corporation, St. Matthew Gen. Contractor and Development Corporation, and Alpha & Omega Gen. Contractor and Development Corporation.
St. Timothy’s withdrawal from the contract had repercussions — it raised questions on whether Miru’s ownership remains at 40% or less. Philippine laws stipulate that government bidders must be at least 60% Filipino-owned.
The mess in the contract has prompted R2KRN to knock on the Supreme Court’s doors, asking it to compel the Comelec and Miru to provide crucial information on the poll contract.
The Comelec has tried to allay the public’s worries about St. Timothy’s exit, and, together with Miru, guaranteed that they have provided all records that R2KRN requested. Currently, Miru has two local partners in the joint venture.
Discaya on Friday distanced herself from the election joint venture.
“I had no role in the decision of [St. Timothy] to join and, later on, withdraw from the joint venture with whom the Comelec entered into the voting machine contract,” she said.
“Therefore, I would not have caused ‘sakit ng ulo’ (a headache) to Comelec,” she added, referring to an earlier Rappler report.
Rappler first emailed St. Timothy in October 2024, seeking its response to Garcia’s statement that its withdrawal was in relation to its owner’s plan to run for the 2025 elections, and his opinion that it would compromise the integrity of the election process. – Rappler.com