A news graphic claimed that controversial contractor Sarah Discaya named Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando “Klarex” Uy as among those who received money from them. This is fabricated.
On Sept. 8, a Facebook page uploaded a social media card with the logo “News5 Northern Mindanao” as well as photos of Discaya and Uy. The headline read:
“Discaya maipamatuod nga gadawat si Klarey Uy og 25% commission sa mga proyekto gikan 2016 taman 2022 (Discaya confirmed that Klarey Uy received a 25% commission from projects from 2016 to 2022).”
Discaya was quoted as supposedly saying:
“Tumanggap po si Klarex Uy mula sa amin. 25% ang hiningi nya (sic) (Klarex Uy received (money) from us. He asked for 25%).”
This is fake. News5 did not release such a graphic and Discaya did not make that statement in previous congressional hearings.
News5 did not publish that graphic on their official social media pages and website.
The news organization does not use a “News5 Northern Mindanao” logo. The text “Northern Mindanao” was simply added to News5’s official logo.
Discaya’s photo was taken during the Sept. 1, 2025 Senate inquiry on alleged corruption in the government’s flood control projects. She never mentioned Uy in the hearing.
To further deceive netizens, the page uploaded an edited photo of the sworn statement of Sarah and her husband Curlee Discaya in the comment section. The couple’s joint statement, released on Sept. 8 during another Senate Blue Ribbon Committee session, did not contain Uy’s name.
The sworn statement only listed congressmen and Department of Public Works and Highways officials as those allegedly involved in the corrupt activities.
The page altered the photo by replacing the name of “Cong. Jojo Ang of Uswag Ilonggo Partylist” to “Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy of Cagayan de Oro City.”
The Cagayan De Oro City Information Office also released an advisory calling the graphic “fake news.”
There are several flood control projects in Cagayan de Oro City listed on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Sumbong sa Pangulo website. However, none of these were handled by firms owned by Sarah Discaya.
The fake graphic circulated the same day the Discayas attended another Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s inquiry on the flood control projects.
VERA Files has debunked other disinformation related to the controversial contractor.
The post by the FB page CDO Now (created on May 19, 2025) garnered 4,300 reactions, 909 comments and 1,400 shares. A copy posted on the FB group Cagayan de Oro City (created on Feb. 24, 2015) also received 83 reactions, 28 comments and 14 shares.
