President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed law enforcers to prepare for the arrest of St. Timothy Construction owner Sarah Discaya and several government personnel following revelations that a multimillion-peso flood control project reported as finished in 2022 had never been built.
In a recorded message, Marcos said evidence collected by investigators contradicted all government submissions for the project. “Ayon sa imbestigasyon, ang proyektong ito na sinasabing natapos noong 2022 ay hindi kailanman nasimulan,” he said.
The President detailed how the project documents, including certificates of completion and inspection reports, were found to be fabricated after government agencies cross-checked the entries. He added that indigenous communities and local officials had verified the absence of any construction on the site. “Sa inspeksyon ng CIDG noong September 2025, natukoy na walang anuman konstruksyon na nasimulan hanggang ngayon,” he said. Marcos also noted that Discaya’s group had turned in falsified videos to simulate supposed progress.
A separate press briefing by the Office of the Ombudsman later confirmed that a criminal case is being readied against Discaya and multiple Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials. Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano announced that investigators had identified grounds to proceed with charges. “The Office of the Ombudsman finds probable cause to file criminal charges in connection with an alleged P96.5 million ghost project in Davao Occidental… We announce that criminal informations shall be filed before the regional trial court of Digos City against several officials of the DPWH Davao Occidental district engineering office and private individual owners of St. Timothy,” he said.
Clavano also disclosed that implicated DPWH executives had been preventively suspended for six months.
Marcos said the complaint lists several public officials accused of committing serious lapses. “Ayon sa kanilang findings, ang mga respondent na ito ay kumilos nang may manifest partiality, bad faith o gross negligence,” he said. He added that investigators concluded government funds were harmed and that the contractor benefited improperly. “Nagdulot sila ng undue injury sa gobyerno at nagbigay ng unwarranted benefits sa contractor,” the President said.
The Chief Executive instructed the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police to track the individuals involved in anticipation of arrest orders. “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 aga… Umpisa pa lang ito. Marami pa tayong naipakulong at marami pang magpapasko sa kulungan,” he said. “Ang malversation, mabigat ito dahil hindi nila mababayaran ang kanilang paglaya,” he added.
Records on Marcos’ “Sumbong sa Pangulo” platform show that Discaya controls multiple construction firms that secured government deals worth billions of pesos from 2022 to 2025. One of these companies had previously been blacklisted by the DPWH before later being allowed to rejoin public bidding.
