Marcos orders DILG, PNP to track Sarah Discaya, others charged in P96.5M ghost project

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr said he has ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government to make sure that they know the location of contractor Sarah Discaya and others charged in connection with the P96.5-million ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental.

The Ombudsman on Friday filed malversation of public funds and corruption charges against Discaya, St. Timothy Construction executive Maria Roma Angeline Rimando, and eight Department of Public Works and Highways officers before the Digos Regional Trial Court.

Marcos pointed out that malversation is non-bailable.

"I have directed DILG and the PNP to ensure that they know the whereabouts of Discaya at nung iba pa para paglabas ng arrest warrant ay maaresto na sila kaagad (and other individuals involved so they will be arrested after the issuance of the warrants of arrest)," Marcos said.

"Ang malversation ay non bailable. Mabigat ito dahil hindi nila mababayaran ang kanilang paglaya. Pag naisampa na ang mga kasong ito sa korte, ang susunod na hakbang ng judiciary ay ang paglabas ng arrest warrant para sa mga pinangalanang indibidwal," he added.

(Malversation is non-bailable. This is huge because they cannot pay for their liberty. Once filed to the court, the next step for the judiciary is to issue arrest warrants against the respondents.)

Marcos said the investigation of the anti-graft body stemmed from a complaint of the DPWH on a flood control project in Barangay Culaman in the Jose Abad Santos town.

An inspection conducted by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) found that the project, awarded to the Discaya firm in 2022, was never implemented contrary to the documents submitted.

"Natuklasan ng Ombudsman 'yung mga isinumiteng final billing, certificate of completion at inspection reports ay palsipikado o hindi tumutugma sa aktwal na kalagayan ng proyekto," said Marcos.

(The Ombudsman found that the final billing, certificate of completion, and inspection reports they submitted were falsified and do not match the project's current status.)

"Maging mga video at larawan na hinarap ng respondent ay walang time stamp at hindi ma-validate na tumutukoy sa proyektong ito," he said.

(Even the photos and videos the respondents submitted do not have time stamps and cannot be validated to be related to the project.

St. Timothy Construction Corporation is one of the construction firms owned by contractor couple Sara and Curlee Discaya, key figures in the ongoing flood control corruption scandal.

On Thursday, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the revocation of its corporate registration along with the  St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor and Development Corporation for “submitting false beneficial ownership information.”

DILG, PNP ready to arrest

In separate statements on Friday, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) stated that they were ready to arrest individuals responsible for the alleged ghost projects in Davao Occidental.

The DILG shared that they were strictly monitoring the locations of the accused.

“Kapag inilabas na ng korte ang warrant of arrest, agad silang dadakipin at ihaharap sa hustisya,” the statement read.

(Once the court issues the warrant of arrest, they will be immediately arrested and brought to justice.)

“Walang makakalusot sa batas. Mananagot ang mga sangkot at matitiyak ng bayan na may hustisyang haharap sa mga gumawa ng korupsyon at katiwalian,” it added.

(No one can escape the law. The accused will be held accountable and the country can be assured that justice will be served to those who are corrupt and committing crimes.)

Due process

PNP also acknowledged the alleged projects, and shared that they were ready to serve the warrants as soon as it is issued by the Court.

“All actions will be carried out with full adherence to due process, respect for human rights, and the presumption of innocence. We likewise express our full support for the ongoing investigations led by concerned government agencies,” the statement read.

“The PNP stands ready to assist in evidence-gathering and other processes necessary to advance the truth and preserve public confidence in the justice system,” it continued.

PNP also called on the public to cooperate with the necessary authorities should they have any information regarding the case.

Second batch

The malversation and graft charges are the second batch of cases to be filed by the Ombudsman in relation to the flood control mess.

Clavano said that while the P96.5 million case does not involve public officials whose Salary Grade is 27 and above, the public can be rest assured that the Ombudsman will go after all those liable, regardless of their rank in the government.

“Public funds intended for community protection cannot be converted into private pain and greed. Every person who participated in this scheme will be held accountable. As I have stated before, this is only the beginning. There are multiple cases currently undergoing preliminary investigation and even more under active fact-finding,” he said.

“All investigations and filings will always depend on the evidence at hand. When there is enough evidence, we will file cases, strong cases. When there is a lack of evidence or the evidence is weak, we defer filing for further case build-up. [Because] we are not chasing headlines, we are seeking accountability,” he added. –NB, GMA Integrated News