Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Andrea Taguines

ABS-CBN News

<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FabscbnNEWS%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0KqqTRYNroxKu9GKJTc96Y5uczWzJbVM7BF4P9NFJ5otyvUnPuNpMudzy5YGBqWd1l&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="250" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Wednesday said it terminated the contract of Discaya-owned St. Timothy Construction for a P250-million pumping station project along Matalahib Creek in Quezon City.</p><p>The development comes six months after members of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) inspected the unfinished facility, which was built directly above a creek, effectively constricting the waterway.</p><p>Since the project was not completed by August 2025 like it was supposed to, it failed to pump out floodwaters into the San Juan River. Instead of helping address <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/weather-traffic/2026/2/12/noah-tools-now-on-egovph-1326">flooding </a>in the area, local officials and residents said the structure even worsened the situation.</p><p>“Hindi pa ‘to tapos kasi, as usual, tiningi-tingi na naman yung budget. And mali talaga ang pagkaka-execute nito kasi dapat hindi nakapatong sa estero. Hinaharang nito ngayon yung tubig mula sa upstream,” DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said in a joint inspection with Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and Project NOAH Executive Director Mahar Lagmay.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/25/belmonte-says-most-dpwh-projects-in-quezon-city-skipped-local-government-2156">Belmonte says most DPWH projects in Quezon City skipped local government </a></div><p>Dizon acknowledged that while there should be a pumping station along Matalahib creek based on the DPWH’s existing flood control master plan, it should be better situated. He also noted that upstream interventions should have been prioritized.</p><p>“Ang dami nang dadaanang populated areas ng tubig bago makarating dito. Common sense ang iuuna ko dapat, doon, sa itaas, doon ka dapat mag-iimbak (ng tubig). Kaya nga sa master plan may detention basin na malaki sa may bandang Meycauayan (in Bulacan)… Ang tanong, bakit inuuna itong mga ito?” he said. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>HOLDING PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Dizon said the legal team of the DPWH was still working with the Office of the Ombudsman in building up a case against those involved in the project, admitting that establishing criminal liability was  a challenge.</p><p>“Ang mahirap kasi ditong i-build up na kaso, unang-una, hindi ito ghost (project). Nakatayo naman yung structure. Ang problema, mukhang may mga mali. So we will still have to look at possible fraud issues, potential malversation issues,” he said.</p><p>But the district engineer in charge of the project, Arturo Gonzales Jr. of the Quezon City First District Engineering Office, has been replaced and put on floating status. He was also listed as one of the respondents in the plunder case against former senator Bong Revilla, which is also in relation to supposedly anomalous flood control projects.</p><p>Meanwhile, Sarah Discaya is currently in jail for a separate flood control case in Occidental Mindoro.</p><p>As for other allegedly irregular, substandard, or ghost projects in Quezon City, Dizon said the ICI had submitted its findings to the Ombudsman.</p><p>“Sa pagkakaalam ko, the QC projects are part of the report that was submitted by ICI to the Ombudsman so siguro we have to let the Ombudsman do its job,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/7/quezon-city-gov-t-terminates-four-projects-linked-to-discaya-firms-1654">Quezon City gov&#x27;t terminates four projects linked to Discaya firms</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>FINDING SOLUTIONS VS FLOODING</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>In the meantime, the DPWH is focused on finding better flood control solutions for the creek-side community in Barangay Talayan before the onset of the rainy season.</p><p>It will ask disaster scientist Mahar Lagmay of Project NOAH to simulate and determine the best flood control intervention moving forward, including possibly getting rid of the pumping station.</p><p>“We have to do something before the rainy season. Hindi tayo papayag, kasama ni Mayor, na wala tayong gagawin na lang, papabayaan na lang natin ‘to nang ganito… The three options are from tearing it down, to putting mobile pumps, to opening the flood barriers there, etc. We will let the scientists give us the best option,” said Dizon.</p><p>Lagmay, in turn, committed to finish the simulations by next week.</p><p>“Kailangan pakitaan natin ng ebidensya, gamitin natin yung siyensya, yung physics ng flow of water para malaman natin ano ba talaga yung tama. Ganun dapat yung mga pag-aaral. Bago pa tayo mag-invest… para di rin nasasayang ang pera,” he said.</p><div><iframe width="1349" height="759" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uMPDeVM1Fvg" title="QC mayor: 141 flood control projects in Quezon City not coordinated with local government | ANC" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><iframe width="1023" height="575" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cGP7_7bGFBI" title="Independent commission inspects flood control projects in Quezon City | ANC" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Wednesday said it terminated the contract of Discaya-owned St. Timothy Construction for a P250-million pumping station project along Matalahib Creek in Quezon City.</p>

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Wednesday said it terminated the contract of Discaya-owned St. Timothy Construction for a P250-million pumping station project along Matalahib Creek in Quezon City.

DPWH terminates Discaya contract for P250-million pumping station in Quezon City

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DPWH terminates Discaya contract for P250-million pumping station in Quezon City

Andrea Taguines,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 18, 2026 03:17 PM PHT

Read More:

Matalahib Creek

Quezon City

flood control

DPWH

St Timothy

Discaya

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