ILOILO City – Questions on transparency and accountability hound flood control projects in Arevalo district after inspections revealed that project billboards failed to disclose basic information required under government audit rules — even as three construction firms tied to the same family secured consecutive contracts along the Iloilo River.
On Tuesday, September 2, officials found that transparency boards in Barangay Mohon for the P91.9-million flood mitigation project implemented by St. Gerrard Construction General Contractor and Development Corp. lacked key data such as contract ID, project duration, start and completion dates.
Under Commission on Audit (COA) Circular No. 2013-004, such omissions constitute violations of public disclosure standards.
“Section 1 sang proyekto ginabanta 200 to 300 metros, kag ang pondo P91.9 million. Mga ikatatlo nga semana sang Enero nagsugod kag malapit na matapos,” said Punong Barangay Francis Acap of the Mohon project flood control structure which has an esplanade and bike lane.
The Mohon project is just one of several contracts bagged by firms linked to the Discaya family of Pasig City. YPR General Contractor and Construction Supply has a P143-million project for Section 1, while St. Matthew General Contractor and Development Corporation has P119 million for Section 2.
Both firms are reportedly under the same network of companies that, according to Pasig City’s Mayor Vico Sotto, have been among the top beneficiaries of flood control projects nationwide.
Sotto earlier accused the Discayas of possible collusion, noting that their firms, including Alpha & Omega and St. Timothy, were among the top contractors flagged in President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s audit presentation.
In a Senate hearing, Sarah Discaya admitted that up to nine of her companies had bid simultaneously for the same contracts.
St. Gerrard itself had been blacklisted during the Duterte administration for contractual failures but resurfaced in recent bids. The family has also been linked to luxury cars now under Bureau of Customs investigation for alleged smuggling.
Iloilo City officials expressed concern that the projects may not only lack transparency but also worsen flooding. Mayor Raisa Treñas, who inspected the structures with Oton, Iloilo’s Mayor Sofronio Fusin, criticized design flaws.
“Daku nga lugar sang suba ang nakaaon kag ginhimo nga bike lane kag para kuno sa ambulansya, apang indi man mahimo maagyan bangud sang mga obstructions,” Treñas said.
She added that her administration is reviewing whether the projects are scientifically sound “agud hibaluon kon ini bala ang rason sang pagbaha. Indi lang pumuluyo sang syudad ang nagaka-apektohan kundi pati man ang mga kabanwahanan, labi na ang Oton.”
Fusin, for his part, said his survey and drone footage showed that the Mohon access road blocked water flow, affecting seven Oton barangays along the Batiano River.
“In my observation, this access road from Mohon to the City Proper created more harm. Wala naka-daloy ang dalum nga tubig, naapektuhan ang pito ka barangay along the Batiano River in Oton and even parts of the Iloilo River,” he said.
The absence of required details on transparency boards has heightened public suspicion, given the billions of pesos at stake and the repeated awarding of contracts to a single family’s network of construction firms.
The local governments of Iloilo City and Oton will coordinate with the Department of Public Works and Highways and environmental authorities to review the integrity of the flood control structures.
“This is not just about transparency but also accountability. Ang importante, indi magdulot sang labi nga problema ang proyekto sa aton syudad kag sa kaingod nga mga banwa,” Treñas said./PN
