Policy
Korina Sanchez’ Camp Fires Back at Mayor Vico's Remark on Discaya Couple Features
In an updated statement, Sanchez responds to Sotto's public callout.
Published on Aug 22, 2025
(SPOT.ph) Following Pasig mayor Vico Sotto's remarks on a Korina Interviews feature on Sarah and Curlee Discaya, the show host Korina Sanchez's camp has laid down claims of "cyber libel" in an open letter to Sotto.
The letter was in direct response to Sotto’s August 21 Facebook post where the public official shared screen grabs from both Sanchez' and Julius Babao’s interviews with the controversial Discaya couple. In the post, he wrote: “Bago tanggapin ng mga kilalang journalists ang alok para mag-interview ng contractor pumapasok sa politika, hindi ba nila naisip na, ‘Uy, teka, ba’t kaya handa to magbigay ng 10 million* para magpa-interview sa akin?’”
At the end of the post, Sotto clarified that the “10 million” was “not an exact figure pero alam niyo na (sic).”
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Screenshot from Facebook/Vico Sotto.
The Discaya features gained renewed attention when clips from the Korina Interviews feature (aired on January 5, 2025) and Julius Babao's Youtube vlog, Julius Babao UNPLUGGED (posted Septembr 17, 20240, resurfaced online. This was after President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s disclosure of the 15 contractors who have allegedly been awarded some P100 billion from funds allocated for flood control projects in the last three years.
Korina Sanchez's updated open letter
In their official statement, posted on Rated Korina's Facebook page, Sanchez’s team emphasized the editorial standards of both Korina Interviews and Rated Korina. “Our host Ms. Korina Sanchez-Roxas has her esteemed place in the industry for very sturdy reasons,” the letter stated.
The team cited several circumstances behind the Discaya feature: that it was taped long before the campaign period and aired in November 2024 and January 2025. That Sanchez herself only found out who the interview subjects were on the day of taping.
“Firstly, we choose subjects and topics for our shows, because there is public interest pinaguusapan ang topic. Second, we don’t do 'Hit' pieces, so no bashing, criticizing or slandering other personalities or businesses. Third, and by the same token, we don’t do 'Puff' or 'vanity' pieces; subjects simply tell their life story (sic),” reads the updated letter.
“In the case of the Sarah and Curlee Discaya interview, pinaguusapan sila. Their sudden prominence in the public eye makes for public interest. We do not presume our interviewees as evil nor as angels. Their rags-to-riches life story is their story to tell. It was aired walang dagdag at walang bawas.”
The team also pointed out that they have featured several of Mayor Vico's family members, including his uncle, Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto. They also claim to have extended an invitation to feature the mayor himself. Actress Coney Reyes, the mayor’s mother, was also informed of the Discaya feature.
“While we recognize free speech and the platforms with which we express opinions, there is also such a thing as thoughtful restraint that benefits truth and fairness.”
The letter was signed by Ferdie Dugay, executive producer for Rated Korina, and Catherine Torres Lulu, executive producer for Korina Interviews. Read the full statement here:
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Photo by Facebook/Rated Korina.
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Photo by Facebook/Rated Korina.
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Why the Discaya features resurfaced online
During President Marcos' State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28, 2025, the president disclosed that 20% of the budget allocated for flood control projects in the past three years—worth about P100 billion—were awarded to only 15 contractors. He then called for an audit of flood control projects under his administration.
The vlogs of Sanchez and Babao resurfaced after the Discayas landed in the national spotlight after President Marcos released the list of 15 construction firms consistently bagging government flood management projects. Alpha and Omega ranked second, while another company linked to Sarah—St. Timothy Construction Corp.—took third.
On Korina Interviews, the Discaya feature was framed as an underdog tale entitled “A Victim of Bullying, Now a Politician.” Sarah shared her background: born in London to OFW parents, once a receptionist at a construction company, until she became head of Alpha and Omega, one of the country’s top contractors for flood management projects.
In Babao’s vlog, Sarah Discaya gave a tour of their massive garage, showcasing 40 luxury cars. Among them: a Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, and a Rolls Royce upholstered in “Hermes orange”—which she said she bought simply because she liked the umbrellas tucked into its doors, a nod to rainy London where she grew up.
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Screenshot from Facebook/Vico Sotto.
On August 11, Sotto had already weighed in on the issue, posting on social media that the Top 2 and 3 companies in the President's list were owned by the Discayas: “Ngayon, unti-unti nang nalalaman ng taumbayan ang buong katotohanan. As the president told them during the SONA, ‘Mahiya naman kayo!’” It will be remembered that Sarah ran against Sotto in the last elections.
Sarah Discaya was among those who did not show up on the first day of the Senate’s probe into the flood control projects, citing a prior commitment.
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