The biggest thieves

By this time, the government should have ordered the arrest of three people — spouses Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya and Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya and Bicol party list Congressman Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co — for crime against the people.

- TONY LOPEZ

According to Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, over 10 years, from 2016 to 2025, Curlee and Sarah Discaya bagged P207.25 billion worth of flood control and other infra contracts from the Department of Public Works and Highways. That's 21 percent of the P1 trillion (P1,000 billion) stolen at DPWH in the last 10 years. Twenty-one pesos of every 100 pesos stolen at DPWH were stolen by the Discayas. Twentyone million of every P100 million stolen at DPWH were stolen by the Discayas.

For his part, Zaldy Co grabbed in 10 years P86 billion worth of DPWH contracts — per data of the Inquirer and the DPWH.

Zaldy’s play money from DPWH in the past 10 years: P1.961 billion in 2016; P1.322 billion in 2017; P8.187 billion in 2018; P4.871 billion in 2019; P3.750 billion in 2020; P4.365 billion in 2021; P16.906 billion in 2022; P17.216 billion in 2023; P19.981 billion in 2024 and P7.512 billion in 2025.