Discayas linked to anomalous construction of hospitals
Contractor couple Curlee and Sarah Discaya, who are embroiled in the flood control corruption controversy, have been flagged for their involvement in "ghost" hospitals, the Senate's budget deliberation for the Department of Health revealed.
Senate finance chair Sherwin Gatchalian cited a 2024 Commission on Audit report, which stated that 123 DOH contracts worth P11.5 billion were not completed within the contract period due to poor coordination, approval delays, and changes in site locations.
According to DOH data, of the 1,099 super health centers scheduled for construction from 2021 to 2024, 319 projects worth P3 billion remain unfinished or non-functional.
"This is P11.5 billion that we cannot use and got stuck because of poor planning, lack of coordination and poor execution. We really need to spend our budget wisely," the senator said.
This comes as Health Secretary Ted Herbosa revealed that 400 of their 600 health centers under its health facilities enhancement program are left idle due to contractors who "walked away" after winning the contract.
He said that construction would begin for facilities, but it would not be completed. "Nakatayo pero hindi magamit," the Health secretary noted, adding that 30% have been paid to the contractors.
According to Herbosa, the DOH terminated contracts with "walkaways" and began a new one with another contractor to finish the facility.
The Health Secretary continued to say that the DOH is working with one contractor named in the list of contractors who got 20% of the P545-billion flood control contracts: the Discayas' St. Timothy Construction Corporation.
The contractor couple is working on infrastructure in Zamboanga for the DOH. "Hindi pa po nagagamit dahil nga hindi pa tapos," Herbosa said.
Sen. Pia Cayetano also brought up that Legacy Construction Corporation and Royal Crown Monarch Construction Corporation have projects with the health agency.
"Itong si Legacy in 2021 had a P107.5 million project and 15% completion pa lang as of now. This is for Southern Philippine Medical Center... Regarding Royal Crown Monarch... three projects abandoned for contract termination... P3.6 million, tatlong barangay health station," she said.
The Discayas' lawyer, Atty. Cornelio Samaniego, told the media on Sept. 30 that the couple gave their "tell-all" accounts on the ongoing probe into anomalous flood control projects by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure.
The couple, along with former DPWH engineers Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez, and Jaypee Mendoza, were made protected witnesses by the Department of Justice after they named several lawmakers in alleged budget insertions and kickbacks for flood control projects.
