The Office of the Ombudsman on Friday filed charges of malversation through falsification and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against billionaire contractor Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya, the president of her construction firm, and eight Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials over a ₱96.5-million flood control project in Davao Occidental that was fully paid despite never being built.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the filing of charges and ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to track down Discaya and the other respondents to facilitate the issuance and service of arrest warrants.
Discaya’s husband, Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II, remains detained in the Senate after being cited in contempt for allegedly lying during hearings on the flood control scandal.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said the cases were filed before the Regional Trial Court of Digos City, designated to handle infrastructure corruption cases. The Ombudsman alleged that the respondents conspired to release full payment for a concrete revetment in Barangay Culaman, Jose Abad Santos town, despite the absence of actual construction.
The project, awarded to St. Timothy Construction Corp. on Jan. 22, 2022, was declared completed on Oct. 2, 2022. But government inspections showed that work had not begun, and accomplishment reports and billing documents had been falsified, Clavano said. Investigators also noted that construction only started after the scandal became public.
The Ombudsman recommended no bail for the malversation charges.
This is the second flood control corruption case brought to court and the first involving Discaya. The earlier case, filed before the Sandiganbayan, involved a substandard ₱289.5-million road dike project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, which also implicated resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co.
Co left the country in July and is believed to be in Europe.
Charged alongside Discaya were St. Timothy president Roma Angeline Rimando and DPWH officials Rodrigo Larete, Michael Awa, Joel Lumogdang, Harold John Villaver, Jafel Faunillan, Josephine Valdez, Ranulfo Flores, and Czar Ryan Ubungen. All DPWH officials were also suspended for six months without pay.
Two of the Discaya-linked construction firms—St. Timothy and St. Gerrard Construction—recently had their registrations revoked by the Securities and Exchange Commission for providing false beneficial ownership information. The firms were fined ₱2 million each.
St. Timothy alone secured 105 flood control contracts worth ₱7.3 billion from 2022 to 2024, based on data from the Sumbong sa Pangulo website.
Meanwhile, Justice officials said former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Elizaldy Co have been named additional respondents in separate flood control cases involving SYMS Construction and Trading. Related complaints filed by the National Bureau of Investigation against the two are also under evaluation.
