FOLLOWING President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s directive, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have declared their readiness to arrest individuals charged in connection with the ₱96.5-million ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental, including contractor Sarah Discaya.
President Marcos emphasized the non-bailable nature of malversation charges, stating, “I have directed DILG and the PNP to ensure that they know the whereabouts of Discaya and other individuals involved so they will be arrested after the issuance of the warrants of arrest.”
In separate statements on Friday, both the DILG and the PNP affirmed their commitment to swiftly apprehending the suspects once arrest warrants are issued by the court. The DILG stated that they are strictly monitoring the locations of the accused, emphasizing that “Once the court issues the warrant of arrest, they will be immediately arrested and brought to justice.” The department further asserted that “No one can escape the law. The accused will be held accountable and the country can be assured that justice will be served to those who are corrupt and committing crimes.”
The PNP acknowledged the alleged ghost projects and assured the public that they are prepared to serve the warrants as soon as they are issued by the Court. “All actions will be carried out with full adherence to due process, respect for human rights, and the presumption of innocence,” the PNP stated. They also expressed their full support for the ongoing investigations led by concerned government agencies and called on the public to cooperate with authorities if they have any information regarding the case.
The malversation and graft charges filed by the Ombudsman are the second batch of cases related to the flood control mess. The investigation stemmed from a complaint by the DPWH regarding a flood control project in Barangay Culaman in the Jose Abad Santos town. An inspection by the PNP-CIDG revealed that the project, awarded to Discaya’s firm in 2022, was never implemented, contradicting submitted documents.
