When the Discayas said in the Senate, “We’ve been in business for 23 years, so of course we’ve earned,” the critics went into overdrive. They pounced, twisted, and ridiculed. But let’s be blunt: the so-called “fact checks” fall apart under their own weight.
Paper Dates Don’t Tell the Whole Story
Opponents sneer: “Their firms were only registered in 2014—so they’re lying.” That is a lazy attack.
In the real world, entrepreneurs don’t spring into existence the moment the SEC stamps their papers. The Discayas were hustling in small construction, trading, and contracting long before they formalized under Alpha & Omega or St. Timothy. Anyone in business knows this truth: paperwork lags behind reality.
To insist otherwise is to weaponize technicality, ignoring decades of sweat equity.
Contracts Are Not Crimes
Critics scream about ₱31–32 billion in flood-control contracts, as if winning bids are automatic proof of corruption. Nonsense. Every contractor worth their salt dreams of scaling up and securing government projects. The Discayas did just that—competed, won, and delivered.
If awarding contracts to emerging players is corruption, then why even hold public bidding? The real question is: are the critics angry about the contracts, or simply bitter that the Discayas outperformed older, slower rivals?
Wrong Comparisons, Wrong Conclusions
They compare the Discayas to Megawide and EEI, whining: “If even the giants struggle, how can these newcomers profit?” That is comparing apples to bulldozers.
Megawide bleeds money because it shoulders massive debt and mega-infrastructure like airports. EEI swings to losses because of international exposure and bloated operations. The Discayas are lean, focused, and unburdened. Smaller overhead, tighter margins, faster turnaround—that’s how entrepreneurs outsmart lumbering dinosaurs.
To say “the Discayas can’t earn because the giants struggle” is like saying a jeepney driver can’t make money because Philippine Airlines posts a loss. Utterly absurd.
Blacklists and Investigations: Political Ammunition
Yes, St. Gerrard and St. Timothy have faced blacklisting. But anyone in DPWH contracting knows blacklisting is a procedural slap, not a death sentence. Many firms—even giants—have been flagged, cleared, and continued.
As for the BIR and Customs sniffing around their luxury cars and lifestyle—good. Let them. Because scrutiny without conviction is just noise. And until evidence is shown in court, the presumption of innocence is not optional. It is a constitutional right.
The Real Cover-Up
Here’s the irony: while critics chant “cover-up,” the only thing being covered up is envy. The Discayas are living proof that small-town contractors can rise to the national stage. That narrative terrifies the old guard—the entrenched tycoons, the competitors who couldn’t win bids, and the politicians who lost their cut.
So they spin stories, quote misleading math, and weaponize perception. Because what they can’t defeat in open bidding, they try to destroy in public opinion.
The Harder Truth
Let’s set it straight:
•“23 years” means decades of family enterprise, not just corporate paperwork.
•Billions in contracts mean competitiveness, not criminality.
•Profitability is possible when you’re lean, focused, and hungry—not bloated like conglomerates.
•Blacklists and probes are tools, not verdicts.
The Discayas’ Senate soundbite wasn’t a cover story. It was a battle cry against the gatekeepers of an industry that doesn’t want new blood to succeed.
And maybe that’s the real reason critics are so desperate: the Discayas broke into a game the old players thought they had rigged forever.
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