Maria Isabel Martinez

Article (news)

Protesters spray-painting the words "corrupt" and "magnanakaw" outside the properties of construction firms implicated in the scandal. Image credit:  Izzy Lee, ABS-CBN News

<p>Six cyclones wracked the Philippines in September, including the world’s strongest <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/weather-traffic/2025/9/24/weather-map-shows-super-typhoon-ragasa-nearing-hong-kong-0712">super typhoon</a> of 2025. </p><p>The heavy rains triggered floods in parts of the country, which could have been prevented if not for alleged anomalies in flood-control projects believed to have cost taxpayers billions of pesos.</p><p>Thousands of Filipinos marched to vent their anger over the scandal in a largely peaceful protest that was later marred by clashes in Manila. </p><p>Here is a roundup of the month’s most crucial flood fraud updates. </p><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17633652063551Timeline Infographic.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div><div> <strong>1.    Discayas, discovered</strong></div><div><strong><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17633652176792Timeline Infographic.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></strong><br/></div><p>Construction moguls <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/4/discayas-visit-doj-for-submission-of-more-evidence-in-flood-control-mess-2038">Sarah and Curlee Discaya</a> alleged that corrupt officials had forced them to join anomalous biddings and hand over money in exchange for securing projects. </p><p>Days before their allegations in a Senate hearing, the Bureau of Customs seized about a dozen <a href="http://Luxury vehicles- https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/10/8-discaya-cars-had-no-import-records-certificates-of-payment-customs-1313">luxury vehicles</a> owned by the Discaya couple, which allegedly lacked import records. </p><p>Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/7/jinggoy-estrada-sues-ex-dpwh-engineer-who-implicated-him-in-flood-control-scam-0959">Roberto Bernardo</a>, <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/25/sham-flood-control-projects-placed-in-other-districts-upon-zaldy-co-s-order-alcantara-1108">Henry Alcantara</a>, and <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/24/brice-hernandez-surrenders-lamborghini-1507">Brice Hernandez</a> later tagged other lawmakers in the alleged kickback scheme.</p><div><strong>2.    Congress </strong><strong>leadership changes</strong></div><div><strong><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17633652596183imeline Infographic.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></strong><br/></div><p>The scandal sparked a leadership change in the House of Representatives, with <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/17/romualdez-resigns-as-house-speaker-1525">Speaker Martin Romualdez</a> tendering his resignation as an investigation got underway. Former House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Zaldy Co also stepped down as Ako Bicol party-list representative. </p><p>Romualdez said he was leaving the post with a &quot;clear conscience&quot; so that a newly established investigatory body could do its job without &quot;undue influence&quot;.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/2/ici-says-to-resend-hearing-invites-for-romualdez-co-2039">ICI says to &#x27;resend&#x27; hearing invites for Romualdez, Co</a></div><p>Senate President Francis Escudero was <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/8/sotto-replaces-escudero-as-senate-president-1544">replaced</a> by Vicente Sotto III in the same month amid ongoing investigations by both houses of Congress into the flood control scandal.</p><div><strong>3.    Protests and surprise arrests</strong></div><div><strong><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17633652930594timeline Infographic.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></strong><br/></div><p>On Sept. 21, thousands of Filipinos gathered in Manila&#x27;s Luneta Park and EDSA to<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/21/thousands-take-to-streets-as-filipinos-protest-flood-control-fraud-2307"> vent their rage</a> against so-called ghost infrastructure projects.</p><p>But a day of largely peaceful mass protests erupted into violence as riot police deployed water cannons in clashes with scores of mostly young masked people who hurled rocks and shattered the glass of one police outpost.</p><p>Police arrested some 200 people in two separate incidents that saw nearly a hundred officers injured and a trailer that was being used as a barricade set ablaze, according to a spokeswoman.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/6/group-vows-louder-anti-corruption-protests-on-nov-30-1709">Group vows &#x27;louder&#x27; anti-corruption protests on Nov. 30</a></div><div><strong>4.   Lives lost</strong></div><div><strong><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17633653063195timeline Infographic.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></strong><br/></div><p>Cyclones Mirasol, <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/weather-traffic/2025/9/21/nando-now-a-super-typhoon-1029">Nando</a>, and Opong left at least 40 dead, triggered flooding in some 8000 areas, and damaged around 140,000 homes, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.</p><div><em>More about the flood control scandal on this <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/11/a-timeline-of-the-philippine-flood-control-scandal-0600">link</a>.</em></div><div><strong>--- With a report from Agence France-Presse </strong></div>

<p>Here's a roundup of the month’s four most crucial flood fraud updates. </p>

Here's a roundup of the month’s four most crucial flood fraud updates.

Super typhoon, corruption protest, and luxury cars: September’s biggest flood fraud stories

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Super typhoon, corruption protest, and luxury cars: September’s biggest flood fraud stories

Isa Martinez

Published October 07, 2025 08:30 AM PHT

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Updated November 17, 2025 03:41 PM PHT

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flood

typhoon

storm

corruption

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fraud

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