MANILA — Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto’s “baseless” attacks against St. Gerrard Construction — a Pasig-based contracting company — forced its owners to challenge the incumbent for the mayoralty post in the 2025 elections, the firm’s top official said on Thursday.

Officials of St. Gerrard General Contractor and Development Corporation (SGGCDC) had no intention to run for public office, but were forced to field a candidate for Pasig mayor as Sotto continued to berate the company for years, according to SGGCDC chief executive officer Curlee Discaya.

“Wala kami plan to run sa election gusto lang namin tumulong sa paraang alam namin bilang private citizen at company pero siya (Vico) ang nag provoke sa amin to run,” Discaya told ABS-CBN News.

“Namimihasa na siya palibhasa ‘di namin siya kinakasuhan lagi ng libel case. Sobrang dami na niyang mga sinasabing paninira laban sa amin simula pa ng 2019,” he said.

“Kami po ang product ng kanyang malikot na imahinasyon at binuo nyang scripted na storya ng kasinungalingan kaya may Ate Sarah na lumitaw at tatakbo ngayon sa Pasig,” he said, referring to his wife who will run against Sotto in the 2025 mayoralty race.

Vico Sotto links 2025 election rival to Miru System’s ex-partner

Discaya alleged that Sotto was using St. Gerrard to demonize the Eusebios, the dynasty that ruled over Pasig City for nearly 3 decades before the millennial mayor rose to power in 2019.

Sotto has alluded to several unscrupulous businesses still operating in Pasig City, but has not mentioned any names.

But the mayor tagged St. Gerrard as the financier behind the purchase and weaponization of several social media pages against the city administration, saying his political rivals have been hiring paid trolls, and even funding staged rallies in front of the Pasig City hall.

“Madalas nya kaming gamitin dito sa Pasig na gamiting free tools sa kalaban niyang si Eusebio, pasamain ang image namin para magmukhang masama… kahit wala sya evidence,” Discaya said.

“Pinalalabas niya kasi na ang ari-arian ng St. Gerrard ay bunga ng pagnanakaw daw ng Eusebio kaya pilit nyang nililink ang Eusebio sa amin para magmukhang monster ang mga Eusebio for his political propaganda at dirty tactics, makuha simpatya ng mga taga-Pasig,” he alleged.

“Dummy daw kami ng mga Eusebio? Hindi naman totoo yun. Super galing niya gumawa ng kwento for publicity. Super king po talaga ng socmed.”

Discaya said they tried to approach and befriend Sotto in 2019, but were allegedly turned away by the local chief executive.

“Ayaw nya kaming maging kaibigan kahit kami na ang gumagawa ng lahat ng paraan paano maka-connect sa kanya,” the contractor said.

“Lahat ng mga konsehal niya ay friend na namin at alam ng mga konsehal niya na hindi kami dummy ng Eusebio,” he said.

“Kaya ayaw niya kami maging friend kahit nakikipagkaibigan kami sa kanya dahil pag naging friend namin siya hindi na niya kami magagamit na tools…if Eusebio runs again sa pagka mayor,” he said.

Earlier this week, the Commission on Elections announced that St. Timothy Construction Corp withdrew from its joint venture with Miru Systems, the provider of automated counting machines and other paraphernalia in the 2025 elections after the poll body flagged a possible conflict of interest.

“We will not allow that the integrity of our election will be questioned simply because one of our contracting partners or owners will run for 2025,” Comelec chairman George Garcia said.

“We only conveyed two choices: that particular partner will have to withdraw from the joint venture or we might be compelled to disqualify certain candidates because we honestly believe that it is what we call conflict of interest,” he said.

Garcia did not disclose why St. Timothy was flagged for a possible conflict of interest, but hours after the Comelec’s announcement, Sotto uploaded a document alleging  that incorporators of the said company were linked to the Discaya’s of SGGCDC.

Sotto also uploaded a copy of St. Timothy’s supposed articles of incorporation filed in July 2014. Of its 5 incorporators, at least 3 have Discaya either as their last name or middle name. The mayor also alleged that some of the incorporators of the two companies share the same address.

Discaya denied Sotto’s allegations, dismissing it as “speculation.”

“Inisip na lang namin na ginagamit siya (Sotto) ni Lord… upang mabuhay ang spirit sa puso namin na lumaban,” the SGGCDC owner claimed.

“Baka ginamit lang ni Lord ito upang tumugon kami sa panawagan ni Lord para sa mas malaking pag tulong dito sa Pasig,” he said.

In August, SGGDC said it would consider filing legal cases against Sotto after the Pasig City Mayor claimed that several community leaders told him that St. Gerrard was behind the dubious rally against his administration’s new City Hall project.

Sotto declined to comment further on Discaya’s accusations.

"I think I don't need to issue any additional statement for now,” he told ABS-CBN News.

“Everything I've said stands.”

Both Discaya and Sotto are expected to file their certificates of candidacy next week.

Sotto will run alongside his Vice Mayor Robert “Dodot” Jaworski for re-election, while Discaya formed a tandem with former Vice Mayor Iyo Bernardo, who lost in the mayoralty race in 2022.