Camille Naredo

Sarah Discaya attends a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged ghost flood control projects on September 8, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File


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)

SENATE BRC

Annie Perez

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/178352914586920250908-senate-blue-ribbon-discayas-13.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Sarah Discaya attends a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged ghost flood control projects on September 8, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Sarah Discaya attends a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the alleged ghost flood control projects on September 8, 2025. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>CEBU -- The Regional Trial Court in Lapu-Lapu City has granted a P1-million bail to contractor Sarah Discaya for the charges filed against her in relation to the flood control scandal in Davao Occidental.</p><p>This is in connection with the P96.5 million alleged ghost project of a revetment along the Culaman River in 2022.</p><p>Branch 27 Presiding Judge Nelson Leyco in his resolution dated July 7, Tuesday, stating that the pieces of evidence highlighted by the prosecution &quot;are not yet enough to prove Discaya&#x27;s instrumental participation in committing the criminal act of falsifying the documents or in conspiring with the other accused.&quot;</p><p>The amount of P300,000 was also granted as bail to Czar Ryan Ubungen, the acting chief of the finance section of the Department of Public Works and Highways - Davao Occidental District Engineering Office.</p><p>However, bail was denied for several DPWH officials accused in the case, including the contractor&#x27;s managing officer, Ma. Roma Angeline Rimando. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/4/discayas-dpwh-execs-face-graft-malversation-raps-over-bulacan-project-0906">READ: Discaya couple, DPWH execs face graft, malversation raps over Bulacan project</a></div><p>Discaya and nine others are accused of conspiring for the release of P96.5 million to construct a revetment project in Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental, which allegedly &quot;was never implemented.&quot;</p><p>She was apprehended and detained in December, and in January, <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/1/13/sarah-discaya-arraignment-0953">pleaded not guilty to graft and malversation charges</a>.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>WHAT THE COURT FOUND SO FAR</strong></div><p>The prosecution alleged that St. Timothy Construction as owned by Discaya made a false claim in the flood control project constructed such as a 30.65 percent accomplishment rate in only four days. </p><p>However, the court noted that the manual laying of the 5,320 cubic meters of rock in this time frame would be &quot;astonishing.&quot;</p><p>The court also questioned allegations that the project construction began even before the contract was officially awarded.</p><p>There was also a location discrepancy where the project&#x27;s actual location and the coordinates specified in the approved plans were 400 meters apart.</p><p>Investigators also found a near-identical copy of the contractor&#x27;s &quot;as-built&quot; plans and the detailed engineering design.</p><p>Signs such as newly poured concrete and the absence of old foundations also made the court&#x27;s ruling strong that it was a ghost project.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/6/8/curlee-discaya-arrested-0748">READ: Curlee Discaya arrested for malversation over Bulacan flood control case, to seek bail</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>&quot;REFLECTIONS BEYOND THE CASE&quot;</strong></div><p>Judge Leyco appended his own personal reflections to the case in the resolution in two-pages.</p><p>He said that this is his plea for a re-examination and acknowledges that granting bail to certain individuals in a high-profile corruption case may be perceived as a &quot;setback in the fight against corruption.&quot;</p><p>However, he emphasizes that as a judge, he has a positive duty to remain within the confines of existing laws, even when they conflict with his personal convictions or the desire for a different outcome.</p><p>&quot;The Rule of Law demands that judges decide cases according to the law as it presently exists, and not according to their personal preferences or deepest convictions,&quot; he wrote.</p><p>Leyco cited the constitutional presumption of innocence, which he described as an &quot;obstacle&quot; to accountability, and questioned the &quot;proof beyond reasonable doubt&quot; standard. </p><p>He notes that while the 1987 Constitution guarantees the presumption of innocence, it does not explicitly mandate this maximum quantum of evidence; rather, the requirement is found in the Rules of Court. </p><p>The judge suggests the time has come to re-examine if this framework strikes the right balance between protecting the accused and safeguarding public funds.</p>

<p>The Regional Trial Court in Lapu-Lapu City has granted a P1-million bail to contractor Sarah Discaya for the charges filed against her in relation to the flood control scandal in Davao Occidental.</p>

The Regional Trial Court in Lapu-Lapu City has granted a P1-million bail to contractor Sarah Discaya for the charges filed against her in relation to the flood control scandal in Davao Occidental.

Lapu-Lapu court grants P1-million bail to flood control contractor Sarah Discaya

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Lapu-Lapu court grants P1-million bail to flood control contractor Sarah Discaya

Annie Perez,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 09, 2026 12:56 AM PHT

Read More:

Sarah Discaya

flood control scandal

DPWH

Cebu

Lapu-Lapu

bail

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