She comes from humble beginnings, built things from the ground up and now has big plans to transform Pasig into a neo-cosmopolitan smart city that harnesses advanced technology to raise its people’s quality of life.
Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” Discaya, owner and general manager of the St. Gerard Construction Development Corp., was born to a woman who used to work as a chambermaid at a hotel in London where her father also waited on diner tables.
As a young learner, Sarah went through secondary and primary education in London. Eventually, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Computer Management at the Pasig Catholic College. Prior to that, she took up Bachelor of Science in Business Administration major in Management of Service Institution at the La Consolacion College for two years.
Discaya was a regular minimum wage worker when she joined the workforce in 1998 as an on-the-job trainee while she was in college. She climbed up the corporate ladder, using her business skills and acumen to become chief financial officer and marketing manager of various construction firms.
She set off on her professional journey as a receptionist, to be later promoted to communications specialist, marketing specialist, recruitment specialist and liaison officer. She also worked as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher and taught multilingual students for a year.
Hence, she was no stranger to hard work and struggle for existence.
Discaya says she will tap into her people management and customer service skills as a leader.
“I endeavor to use my capabilities to promote private enterprises which redounds to better quality of life for the people,” she says,
Discaya is running for Pasig’s mayoralty post with a campaign focused on 12 major programs, mostly involving infrastructure facilities to improve the lives of the cityfolk.
Being a successful businesswoman, Discaya is also keen on using her entrepreneurial skills and expertise to build her dream projects for the city.
First on Discaya’s list is the construction of an 11-story university building, a seven-story school building and an up-to-date elementary school building to enhance the learning opportunities for the youth.
She eyes the construction of a modern hospital or health facility that can compete with the state-of-the-art services offered by private medical establishments.
She also vows to pursue vertical housing projects to address the housing backlog in the city, and put up an ultramodern transport terminal that will house the metropolis’ public transportation and make public commuting less difficult for passengers.
To address worsening traffic congestion, Discaya commits to establishing a sensor-based traffic system and provide vertical parking spaces for car owners.
She also wants to improve flood control management to mitigate the impact of heavy rainfall and reduce, if not stop, the damage to life and property, Diskaya’s camp said in a statement.
Improving the city’s aerial firefighting and rescue capability, construction of a new road and wide esplanade near the Pasig River, digitalization of hospital and city hall services, provision of a city-wide free WiFI connection and the establishment of a command center to closely monitor and enforce a city-wide anti-crime CCTV network are also included in her priority projects.