Vico files poll rap vs. Discaya

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto has filed an election offense complaint against contractor Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” Discaya, accusing his former rival of overspending and misdeclaring campaign expenses in the May 2025 polls.

In a complaint-affidavit submitted to the Political Finance and Affairs Department of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Intramuros, Manila last week, Sotto alleged that Discaya violated Section 100 of the Omnibus Election Code by exceeding the allowable spending limit and making untruthful statements in her Statement of Contributions and Expenses (SOCE).

Discaya’s SOCE reportedly declared total expenses of ₱895,000, all attributed to “stationery, printing and distribution of printed materials relative to her candidacy.”

However, Sotto said evidence attached to the complaint showed no declaration of digital advertisements allegedly paid for or donated to Discaya, as well as outdoor political ads and billboards.

“Notably, Discaya did not report a single centavo for the billboard site’s rental — be it an expense of contribution,” Sotto said.

He also presented screenshots of a digital advertisement that indicated it was “donated by the Chicco Francisco family,” which he claimed was not reflected in Discaya’s SOCE. Another campaign ad that circulated during the election period bore the line “paid by Cezarah Rowena C. Discaya,” but was likewise unreported, he added.

The campaign period ran from March 28 to May 10, 2025. As a party-affiliated candidate, Discaya was allowed to spend ₱3 per registered voter. With 463,885 registered voters in Pasig, her maximum allowable spending was pegged at ₱1,391,655.

Sotto emphasized that allowable expenses include contributions made on behalf of a candidate. He noted that Comelec is authorized under Section 100 of the Omnibus Election Code to “assess an expenses based on prevailing rates in the locality and include in such assessed amount the total expenses incurred by the candidate.”

“Particularly, in this case, Discaya’s political advertisements proliferated during the months and days leading to the 2025 elections; hence, pursuant to its mandate, the Comelec may determine and assess such advertising expenses and ascertain the same from its own records,” he said.

Apart from the election offense complaint, Sotto also lodged a perjury complaint questioning Discaya’s declaration of eligibility to run for Pasig mayor while allegedly asserting British citizenship through the use of a British passport after filing her Certificate of Candidacy.

He said the complaints were filed “as a concerned citizen, seeking only to preserve the integrity of the electoral system.”

Sotto was assisted by the Macalintal Law Office, led by election lawyer Romulo Macalintal.