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Cezarah Discaya, owner of St. Gerrard Construction Company, attends a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, September 8, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Job Manahan

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176594906587920250908-senate-blue-ribbon-discayas-13.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Cezarah Discaya, owner of St. Gerrard Construction Company, attends a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, September 8, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA – The two criminal complaints filed against government contractor Sarah Discaya and engineers in Davao Occidental over an anomalous flood control project were transferred to Lapu-Lapu City&#x27;s regional trial court (RTC), the Supreme Court announced on Wednesday. </p><p>SC Spokesperson Atty. Camille Ting said this was in accordance with the High Court’s guidelines “directing that corruption-related cases arising from infrastructure projects be forwarded to the nearest designated anti-graft court of the nearest judicial region.&quot;</p><p>RTCs have been designated as special courts which will handle anti-graft cases involving infrastructure projects.</p><p>“The determination of the nearest judicial region shall be made by the presiding or executive judge concerned,” Ting said in a statement. </p><p>The SC earlier noted that Republic Act No. 10660 or An Act Strengthening Further the Functional and Structural Organization of the Sandiganbayan expanded the jurisdiction of RTCs to include cases under anti-graft laws.</p><p>Discaya and the public works officials are facing  graft and malversation charges due to  an alleged “ghost” P96.5-million infrastructure project in Davao Occidental.</p><p>The Office of the Ombudsman filed the criminal information at an RTC in Digos City on Dec. 5, 2025. </p><p>Respondents allegedly conspired for the release of P96.5 million to construct a revetment project in Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental, which “was never implemented.”</p><p>Discaya last week <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/10/tv-patrol-exclusive-sarah-discaya-nilinaw-na-nagpasailalim-sa-nbi-custody-para-sa-kaligtasan-2047">surrendered</a> to the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), even without an arrest warrant from the court. </p><p>She said the move was meant to ensure her safety.</p><p>&quot;Hindi naman ito more of &#x27;sumuko.&#x27; Para rin itong safekeeping… Ang tumatakas lang, may kasalanan,&quot; she told ABS-CBN News.</p><p>&quot;At least, I&#x27;m somewhere safe… Dito, kahit paano, kampante ako.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/17/doj-denies-special-treatment-as-sarah-discaya-attends-malabon-preliminary-investigation-0003">DOJ denies special treatment as Sarah Discaya attends Malabon preliminary investigation</a></div><div><iframe width="1295" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VKUklMv1-bs" title="EXCLUSIVE: 1-on-1 with Sarah Discaya | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>The two criminal complaints against construction mogul Sarah Discaya and public works engineers tagged in an alleged ghost project in Davao Occidental were transferred to Lapu-Lapu City's Regional Trial Court, the Supreme Court announced Wednesday.</p>

The two criminal complaints against construction mogul Sarah Discaya and public works engineers tagged in an alleged ghost project in Davao Occidental were transferred to Lapu-Lapu City's Regional Trial Court, the Supreme Court announced Wednesday.

Complaints vs Sarah Discaya, DPWH engineers tagged in Davao Occidental ‘ghost project’ transferred to Lapu-Lapu City court

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Complaints vs Sarah Discaya, DPWH engineers tagged in Davao Occidental ‘ghost project’ transferred to Lapu-Lapu City court

Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 17, 2025 01:25 PM PHT

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Updated December 17, 2025 02:14 PM PHT

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Sarah Discaya

Davao Occidental

ghost project

DPWH

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