Palace disputes Discayas' denial of film center contract
Published Sep 6, 2025 01:40 pm
At A Glance
- First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos also criticized the workmanship at the PFHB, a place that was supposed to serve as the permanent home of Philippine cinema. In an Instagram post, Marcos described the building as a "rotten monument of incompetence."
Malacañang has refuted claims by the camp of Great Pacific Builders and General Contractor, Inc., that the firm did not handle the second phase of the Philippine Film Heritage Building (PFHB) project.
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos visits the 'completed' Philippine Film Heritage Building in Intramuros, Manila. The building was tagged as completed, but the First Lady pointed out leaking roofs, cracked walls, unfinished theaters, and ceilings already strained with water. (Liza Marcos/Instagram)
In a statement, Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro urged the contractor couple, Cezarah “Sarah” and Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya, to “revisit all the existing contracts” of their company with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“They might have forgotten their commitments, considering the numerous projects that they got from the government,” Castro said Saturday, Sept. 6.
“Wrong information given to the media may cause confusion to the people,” she added.
The Discayas’ lawyer, Cornelio Samaniego, said Great Pacific Builders had only undertaken the first phase of the PFHB and turned it over in December 2024, with another contractor supposedly in charge of Phase 2.
But Castro countered that Great Pacific Builders “voluntarily entered” into a contract for Phase 2 with DPWH official Manny Bulusan of the Office of the District Engineer.
The contract, identified as Contract ID No. 230H0119, covers the construction of the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ heritage building in Intramuros, Manila. It was valued at P107.98 million, with a project duration of 240 days and an expiry date of Sept. 4, 2025.
Castro noted the agreement was duly notarized by a Manila-based lawyer and argued that it could not have been completed in December 2024, as claimed by the Discayas’ counsel.
“Common sense will dictate that the contractor cannot finish the project in December 2024 when the contract was merely executed into a contract on Jan. 2, 2025,” she said.
“Paano mangyayari na natapos ang kontrata noong December 2024 pero ang kontrata ay magsisimula nang January 2025 (How is it possible that the contract ended in December 2024 when the contract starts in January 2025)?” she added.
Castro earlier warned that the Discayas could face legal action over what it described as poor structural design and substandard construction of the project.
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos also criticized the workmanship at the PFHB, a place that was supposed to serve as the permanent home of Philippine cinema. In an Instagram post, Marcos described the building as a “rotten monument of incompetence.”
“What did we get? Leaking roofs, cracked walls, unfinished theaters, ceilings already strained with water — all in a building that hasn’t even opened,” she wrote.
“Seriously?! MAHIYA NAMAN KAYO! Pati ito ninakawan niyo ng dignidad (Have some shame! You’ve stolen the dignity even of this place),” she added.
The First Lady’s remarks came as questions mounted over the project’s implementation and the government’s response to alleged anomalies in flood control and infrastructure contracts.