Public works contractor Curlee Discaya insisted Monday that he had no hand in the purchase of a posh property in Makati allegedly intended for former Speaker Martin Romualdez, despite being identified by two secret witnesses during the resumption of the Senate’s probe into the multibillion-peso flood control scams.

The witnesses, testifying under the pseudonyms Joy and Maria, said before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee that Discaya personally told them that Romualdez had “acquired” the property at 30 Tamarind Road in South Forbes Park.

“Si Romualdez ang bumili,” said one of the witnesses, quoting Discaya.

The property in question had been leased by businessman Rico Ocampo — Joy and Maria’s former boss — from the previous owner but it was sold in April 2023.

The deed of sale showed that Golden Pheasant Holdings Corporation, whose “major stockholder” was Jose Raulito Paras, acquired the property, according to committee chair Ping Lacson.

Paras is reportedly Romualdez’s fraternity brother and business associate.

One of the witnesses said their boss received an email from the Ocampo, Manalo, Valdez and Lim law firm on 29 January 2024 ordering them to vacate the property within two days.

They said they asked for an extension from the broker, TJ Conti, citing their numerous office belongings. Eventually, they were given until 3 February to move out.

Lacson then intervened, saying that he had spoken with Rico Ocampo.

“He said that you talked to someone who was forcibly pushing you out of the residence, mentioning Curlee Discaya. Would you confirm that?” he asked the witnesses.

Curlee’s ‘role’

The witness said they met Discaya at the property on 1 February, noting that the broker, Conti, introduced him only as a “contractor” without mentioning his name.

This prompted Lacson to ask the witnesses how they were able to identify Discaya, despite not knowing his name.

“We remembered him because he was the one giving orders to the workers. He even told them to help us so we could move out quickly,” one of the witnesses responded.

She said they asked Discaya to give them another extension, but he refused, saying: “I’m a contractor here, we also have deadlines.”

She said they confirmed Discaya’s identity when they saw him on TV during the Senate probe into the flood control anomaly.

At yesterday’s hearing, the witnesses identified Discaya, who was present, by standing beside him.

Discaya, in response, asked that the witnesses remove their masks so he could confirm if he had met them before, but Lacson refused.

“I want to identify the two people pointing to me because I’ve never been to South Forbes Park. I don’t even know what kind of houses there are there,” Discaya said in Filipino. “I only buy properties in Pasig where prices are not expensive.”

Lacson said it was not for Discaya to identify the two witnesses, asserting that it was the panel’s responsibility to determine if he had actually mentioned Romualdez as the new owner of the property, as alleged by the witnesses.

Romualdez’s camp pushes back

Meanwhile, Romualdez’s lawyer, Ade Fajardo, downplayed the testimonies of the two Senate witnesses as “logically and physically impossible,” taking into account Discaya’s remark that he had never been to South Forbes Park.

“The claims come solely from the staff of an evicted tenant, unsupported by any document, while Martin Romualdez’s name appears in no deed, contract, or payment record related to the property. There is no evidence — only hearsay and possibly perjured statements — and therefore nothing to answer,” Ade said.

The house in South Forbes Park was the same property that former Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Elizaldy Co claimed was purchased as a “drop-off and storage house for money from SOPs,” or kickbacks from the government, allegedly intended for President Marcos and Romualdez.

Co, the former chair of the House appropriations committee in the 19th Congress, alleged that he inserted P100 billion in the 2025 budget on Marcos and Romualdez’s orders.

Of the total, P56 billion allegedly went directly to Marcos and Romualdez, who received it in monthly deliveries.

Marcos dismissed Co’s allegations, saying he “won’t dignify” them. Romualdez maintained that his conscience “remains clear” and that his former ally’s claims “do not hold water in the court of law.”

Co, who ran a construction firm doing business with the government, is facing multiple charges for his role in substandard flood control projects, and is the subject of an arrest warrant. He flew to the United States in July last year, as the flood control anomalies surfaced, and is reportedly now hiding in Portugal.