The House Committee on Infrastructure is set to peel back the layers of one of the most explosive corruption controversies in recent years as it resumes hearings on September 9, with lawmakers training their sights on the business empire of embattled contractor Sarah Discaya.
Representative Terry Ridon of Bicol Saro Party-list, who co-chairs the three-panel investigation, said the next round of questioning would go beyond headlines and examine the corporate machinery that allowed Discaya’s companies to secure billions in public works contracts.
“This time, we will look at the mechanics — the firms tied to Discaya, the projects they handled, their corporate setup, and how they managed to participate in government biddings simultaneously,” Ridon said at a public forum in Quezon City.
Subpoenas and looming contempt
Discaya, who was grilled at a Senate hearing last week, has been subpoenaed to appear before the House inquiry alongside four other contractors whose names surfaced in questionable deals. They include Mark Arevalo of Wawao Builders Corp., Miguel Juntura of St. Timothy Construction Corp., Romeo Miranda of Royal Crown Monarch Construction, and Sally Santos of Syms Construction Trading.
Failure to attend could lead to contempt citations and possible arrest orders, Ridon warned. “The committee has the authority to compel their appearance. If they continue to evade accountability, we will not hesitate to exercise that power,” he said.
PCAB crackdown and Discaya’s appeal
The Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) has already revoked the licenses of nine Discaya-controlled companies after she openly admitted before the Senate that her firms were able to bid for multiple contracts at the same time. Her legal team has vowed to appeal the decision, raising questions on whether regulatory loopholes made such schemes possible in the first place.
The Bulacan ghost project
Beyond Discaya’s web of firms, lawmakers are also eyeing the mysterious inclusion of a P96-million flood control project in Plaridel, Bulacan. The contract was awarded to Wawao Builders Corp. but later flagged as a “ghost project,” sparking suspicion that budget insertions were made during the bicameral conference committee’s final deliberations on the 2024 national budget.
Ridon said the InfraComm may invite members of that bicameral panel in future hearings. “We need to know who pushed for this project’s inclusion. Somebody signed off on this, and the people deserve to know,” he stressed.
Bigger picture: accountability in public works
For lawmakers, the September 9 hearing is more than a battle over one contractor’s empire. It has become a litmus test for transparency in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the integrity of Congress’ budget process.
“What is at stake here is not just one person’s wrongdoing, but the entire system that enables ghost projects and fake contractors to siphon off public funds,” Ridon said. “This is the time to show that impunity will no longer be tolerated.”