Rowegie Abanto

Pacifico and Cezarah Discaya, owners of St. Gerrard Construction Company, attend a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged ghost flood control projects at the Philippine Senate on September 8, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Pacifico and Cezarah Discaya, owners of St. Gerrard Construction Company, attend a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged ghost flood control projects at the Philippine Senate on September 8, 2025.
Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

RG Cruz

Adrian Ayalin

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175790681711720250908-senate-blue-ribbon-discayas-17 (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">Pacifico and Cezarah Discaya, owners of St. Gerrard Construction Company, attend a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged ghost flood control projects at the Philippine Senate on September 8, 2025. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Monday said he would &quot;confront&quot; Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin &quot;Boying&quot; Remulla on his statement that Discaya couple Sarah and Curlee <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/8/discayas-must-return-money-first-before-qualifying-as-state-witnesses-doj-1528?fbclid=IwY2xjawM0ZypleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFmN1ZleWUwVUVLMld2SE1yAR6STn3WsXWlSHC2OLVYLYjuKL806PqtqWuoGnJ9u9ZtHWzRK1hSXOnfZXnVnQ_aem_jilRgWq05vQ6q9gruhAwGw">need to return the money they acquired</a> from allegedly anomalous flood control projects to qualify as state witnesses.</p><p>&quot;Sa tamang pagkakataon, I&#x27;m going to confront the secretary of justice kung bakit niya sinabi &#x27;yon,&quot; Marcoleta, who chaired the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee that investigates the flood control mess, told a press briefing.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/10/flood-control-scandal-who-can-be-a-state-witness-1434">Flood control scandal: Who can be a state witness?</a></div><p>The senator argued that restitution or the return of lost money was not a requirement under the Witness Protection, Security, and Benefit Act, also known as Republic Act No. 6981.</p><p>That law, Marcoleta said, lays down specific requirements for an individual to be admitted to the Witness Protection Program, which he noted does not require restitution.</p><p>If the return of money is a requirement, Marcoleta said it raises questions of who would pay up and how the government would determine the amount of money that should be restored.</p><p>Curlee and Sarah Discaya have been described by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism as the &quot;king and queen of flood control projects&quot; after their companies and joint ventures bagged P31 billion in flood control projects from 2022 to 2025.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/8/disacayas-says-corrupt-officials-used-them-in-anomalous-bidding-1114">Discaya couple says lawmakers, DPWH execs &#x27;used&#x27; them in flood control anomalies</a></div><p>Marcoleta again defended his recommendation of immunity for the Discayas, saying it is up to the courts, not members of the Senate, to judge the sworn testimonies of the couple.</p><p>&quot;Akala n&#x27;yo ba merong magsasabi kung sinong mga senador at sino&#x27;ng mga congressmen ang sangkot dito kung wala kang gagamitin under the Witness Protection Program?&quot; he also said.</p><p>The Witness Protection, Security, and Benefit Act requires that an accused who wants to become a state witness not appear to be the most guilty, and there should be an &quot;absolute necessity&quot; for their testimony.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/10/sotto-rejects-marcoleta-s-recommendation-to-admit-discayas-to-doj-s-witness-protection-program-2345">Sotto rejects Marcoleta&#x27;s recommendation to admit Discayas to DOJ&#x27;s witness protection program</a></div><p>Becoming a state witness in the Philippines provides an accused some form of immunity from criminal prosecution.</p><p>Other requirements that need to be fulfilled to become a state witness under the law include the following. </p><div><br/></div><ul><li>There must be no other direct evidence available for the proper prosecution of the offense committed. </li><li>The accused must not have been convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude.</li><li>The offense in which their testimony will be used is a &quot;grave felony.&quot;</li></ul><div><br/></div><div><strong>FURTHER EVALUATION</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Marcoleta’s witness protection request for the Discayas needed to be evaluated.</p><p>Remulla emphasized that he was non-committal when he and Marcoleta spoke over the phone.</p><p>“I hope he has a recording of our conversation para madali nang makita kung ano ang pinag-usapan kasi I cannot say that I promised something  that I cannot believe in,” Remulla said.</p><p>Remulla said authorities needed to determine first if individuals applying as state witnesses are telling the truth.</p><p>“Dapat iyan bigyan niya kami ng tsansa naman out of respect na ma-evaluate namin iyong tao,” he said.</p><p>He added that the Discayas’s records as private contractors have to be examined.</p><p>“I cannot take it from somebody that, porke hiningi ay ibibigay ko na, hindi po eh, wala po sa power ko iyon, hindi po ganon ang Witness Protection Program,” Remulla said.</p><p>Remulla said the DOJ investigation, through the National Bureau of Investigation, continues after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. named former Supreme Court associate justice Andres Reyes as chairman of the Independent Commission on Infrastructure.</p><p>He said 3 ghost projects were so far discovered, based on the coordinates reported to the Isumbong Mo sa Pangulo website. </p><p>“The way that I see this independent commission, it’s going to help the DOJ and the Ombudsman come up with the evidence needed for the prosecution,” Remulla said.</p><p>Remulla said plunder, malversation and other charges could be filed against private individuals as well as government officials upon the completion of their investigation.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IZ4lxkRhaoE?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Monday said he would "confront" Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla on his statement that Discaya couple Sarah and Curlee need to return the money they acquired from allegedly anomalous flood control projects to qualify as state witnesses.</p>

Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Monday said he would "confront" Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla on his statement that Discaya couple Sarah and Curlee need to return the money they acquired from allegedly anomalous flood control projects to qualify as state witnesses.

'I'm going to confront the secretary of justice': Marcoleta says Discayas need not return money to become state witnesses

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'I'm going to confront the secretary of justice': Marcoleta says Discayas need not return money to become state witnesses

Rowegie Abanto,

RG Cruz,

Adrian Ayalin,

ABS-CBN News

Published September 15, 2025 11:37 AM PHT

|

Updated September 15, 2025 01:45 PM PHT

Read More:

Rodante Marcoleta

Flood Control

Discaya

Sarah Discaya

Curlee Discaya

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