President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the impending arrest of Sarah Discaya, owner of St. Timothy Construction, and other officials over a P100-million ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental.
According to Marcos, investigations revealed that the project, which was supposedly completed in 2022, was never actually started.
“Ayon sa imbestigasyon, ang proyektong ito na sinasabing natapos noong 2022 ay hindi kailanman nasimulan,” the President said in a recorded message.
The Office of the Ombudsman will soon file malversation and falsification of public documents charges against Discaya and other key officials of her firm, after it was determined that certificates of completion and inspection reports submitted to the government were falsified.
At a press briefing following the President’s announcement, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano confirmed that criminal cases will be filed against Discaya and her alleged cohorts.
“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. 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 individuals, including owners of St. Timothy Construction,” Clavano said.
He added that the DPWH executives involved were preventively suspended for six months.
Marcos said the Discaya firm had submitted fake evidence of work progress, including falsified videos of the project, and that CIDG inspections in September 2025 confirmed that no construction had begun. Indigenous groups and barangay officials corroborated the report.
Authorities have been instructed to prepare for the arrests as soon as the charges are formally filed.
“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 naipakulong at marami pang magpapasko sa kulungan,” the President said, adding that malversation carries heavy penalties.
Discaya owns several construction companies that have secured billions of pesos in government projects from 2022 to 2025, according to the President’s “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website. One of her firms had previously been blacklisted by the DPWH but was later allowed to participate in government projects again.
