MANILA – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced that authorities are preparing to take St. Timothy Construction owner Sarah Discaya into custody in connection with a P100-million flood control project in Davao Occidental that investigators say never existed.
In a video message, Marcos said evidence gathered by government agencies showed that the supposed 2022 project had no physical work completed on-site.
“Ayon sa imbestigasyon, ang proyektong ito na sinasabing natapos noong 2022 ay hindi kailanman nasimulan,” the Chief Executive said.
According to Marcos, the Office of the Ombudsman will file criminal charges — including malversation and falsification of public documents — against Discaya and several individuals linked to her companies after documents submitted to justify the project were found to be fabricated. Field officers also verified the absence of any construction activity.
“Sa inspeksyon ng CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) noong September 2025, natukoy na walang anuman konstruksyon na nasimulan hanggang ngayon,” Marcos added, noting confirmations from local officials and indigenous communities.
Marcos said investigators also uncovered falsified videos purportedly showing project progress. While he mentioned that government personnel are implicated, he did not identify them pending formal filing of cases.
Based on findings submitted to the Palace, investigators concluded that the respondents acted with “manifest partiality, bad faith, or gross negligence.”
“Ayon sa kanilang findings, ang mga respondent na ito ay kumilos nang may manifest partiality, bad faith o gross negligence,” Marcos said, adding, “Nagdulot sila ng undue injury sa gobyerno at nagbigay ng unwarranted benefits sa contractor.”
The President said police units and the Department of Interior and Local Government have been instructed to track Discaya’s movements ahead of a possible warrant.
“I have directed the DILG and the PNP to ensure that they know the whereabouts of Discaya at nung iba pa para paglabas ng arrest warrant ay maaresto sila agad… Umpisa pa lang ito. Marami pa tayong maipakulong at marami pang magpa-Pasko sa kulungan,” he said.
Marcos added that those facing malversation charges may find it difficult to secure release.
“Ang malversation, mabigat ito dahil hindi nila mababayaran ang kanilang paglaya,” he said.
According to the President’s “Sumbong sa Pangulo” portal, Discaya’s network of construction firms secured billions of pesos worth of government contracts from 2022 to 2025.
One of her companies had previously been blacklisted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) before later being allowed to participate again in public bidding./PN
