Sarah Discaya arrested over ghost flood control project worth P96.5 million
Sarah Discaya has been arrested in connection with the Davao Occidental ghost flood control project that cost P96.5 million.
An arrest warrant was served to the government contractor by the National Bureau of Investigation late Thursday, Dec. 18. She was then brought to the NBI detention facility in Muntinlupa.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. announced in a video message that Discaya and her 10 co-accused have been slapped with graft and malversation charges without bail.
"Ang mga akusado ay nahaharap sa kasong graft at malversation. Ito pong mga kasong ito, hindi po bailable ito. Hindi pwedeng bayaran para sila’y makalabas sa kulungan," he said.
Marcos assured the public that justice would be served to everyone involved in the flood control corruption.
"Titiyakin po natin na hindi lamang sila ay makakasuhan, kundi maibalik ang pera, na ang binayad ng ating kababayan ay ibalik sa kaban ng ating bansa," he added.
This comes after the Office of the Ombudsman filed complaints against Sarah and her husband Curlee Discaya over a ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental. Also named in the complaints were Ma. Roma Angeline Rimando of St. Timothy Construction Corporation, and several DPWH officials from the Davao Occidental District Engineering Office, including District Engineer Rodrigo Larete, Assistant District Engineer Michael Awa, and several section chiefs, project engineers, and inspectors.
Citing the Ombudsman’s findings, Marcos revealed that the project was listed as completed in 2022, but no implementation had actually begun. The discrepancy came to light during a Sept. 25 inspection by the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
“Kinumpirma ng mga indigenous peoples at barangay official sa kanilang joint affidavit na walang naganap na implementasyon ng proyekto," he said.
He also noted that the submitted final billing, certificate of completion, and inspection reports were falsified.
"I have directed [the] DILG and the PNP to ensure that they know the whereabouts of Discaya at no’ng iba pa para paglabas ng arrest warrant ay maaresto na sila kaagad,” Marcos said.
The Discayas were thrown into the spotlight when Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto, whom Sarah unsuccessfully ran against in the midterm elections, posted about their controversial interviews with Korina Sanchez and Julius Babao. In the interviews, the couple talked about their "inspiring" rags-to-riches life story, showcasing their dozens of luxury cars and other assets. Babao asked them what served as their "gateway" to have a better life, and Sarah answered, "Noong nag-DPWH kami."
After Sotto's posting, the couple's story unraveled and opened a can of worms. It led to flood control projects being the talk of the town, a Bureau of Customs chase, the revocation of the Discaya companies' licenses, and congressional hearings.
