(UPDATE) CONTRACTOR Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II and his wife, Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” Discaya, on Friday asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to include them in the government’s Witness Protection Program (WPP) amid investigations into massive corruption in flood control projects.
Curlee Discaya arrived at 8 a.m. at the DOJ office wearing a bulletproof vest and escorted by law enforcement officers. His wife followed at around 10:30 a.m.
The reason for their staggered arrivals has not been disclosed.
The couple submitted affidavits, which DOJ officials said will be evaluated to determine whether their testimony qualifies them for witness protection.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla met with Curlee Discaya during the proceedings. DOJ spokesman Mico Clavano IV said the meeting “is only to determine whether or not they can be protected witnesses.”
Legislators and investigators are skeptical about the couple’s credibility, noting inconsistencies in their previous statements. Sen. Francis Pangilinan said the Discayas’ shifting accounts could undermine their eligibility for state protection.
Earlier this week, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee cited Curlee Discaya in contempt for changing his testimony after his wife failed to attend a hearing.
Being under the WPP differs from serving as a state witness, Clavano said. WPP coverage focuses on personal safety and security, while state witness status requires a court to formally discharge the individual to testify against co-accused parties.
DOJ officials emphasized that cooperation alone does not ensure protection, particularly if the applicants acted as co-conspirators rather than reluctant participants.
The controversy over flood control projects has intensified in recent weeks. The Commission on Audit (COA) has flagged millions of pesos in projects as substandard, overpriced or nonexistent. The Senate has sought further cooperation from the implicated contractors.
In related developments, the Senate has received a subpoena from the Independent Commission for Infrastructure summoning former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez to provide documents and evidence on the projects.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the chamber is prepared to comply, noting Hernandez remains under the Senate’s custody.
Hernandez was cited in contempt for refusing to submit key documents.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, Blue Ribbon Committee chairman, said he would coordinate with Sotto to allow Hernandez to leave under escort to gather additional evidence.
Hernandez has implicated Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada in the alleged irregularities, accusations both lawmakers have denied. He has also hinted about additional bank accounts or assets not yet covered by the Anti-Money Laundering Council’s freeze order.
In a radio interview on Friday, Lacson said huge cash deliveries to engineers of the DPWH, including a P457-million one-time payment last March, could be a sign that higher-level players are involved in the flood control project scandal.
Lacson said he was surprised by reports that a contractor delivered large amounts to DPWH engineers, when payments normally flow from the agency to the contractor.
He was referring to cash deliveries made by SYMS Construction owner Sally Santos to Hernandez at least three times this year.
“It is baffling. Why would a contractor deliver cash to the district engineering office when it should be the other way around — the DPWH pays the contractor for completed projects,” Lacson said.
He questioned, in particular, the purpose of the P457 million and why it was paid in cash.
Lacson suggested that Santos may have received payment for completed projects only to return the funds to Hernandez, describing the arrangement as “anomalous.”
During Thursday’s blue ribbon hearing, Santos testified that she delivered cash to Hernandez at least three times this year: P457 million on March 24, P141 million on May 6 and P65 million on May 23.
Lacson said investigators were still trying to determine how the money was divided. He also noted that former DPWH Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara’s refusal to cooperate in the hearing may indicate he was protecting someone.
“He is obviously protecting someone. If Alcantara cracks, maybe we can get to who is behind him,” Lacson said.
Lacson also raised the possibility of an insider in the Department of Budget and Management, which can recommend to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the release of unprogrammed funds, including possibly for flood control projects.
However, Lacson traced the roots of the corruption to lawmakers who inserted funds into the budget.
“It appears the seed of all this is Congress. If no one allocated or inserted, we wouldn’t have come to this. If there is someone to blame, it is the lawmakers who have become greedy and brazen,” he said.
Also on Friday, the Office of the Ombudsman announced the suspension of 16 personnel from the DPWH Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office to prevent them from influencing the ongoing investigation of anomalous flood control projects.
Acting Ombudsman Dante Vargas issued the preventive suspension order on Sept.18, after Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon filed criminal complaints against several personnel last Sept. 15
It also comes after COA Chairman Gamaliel Cordoba endorsed additional fraud audit reports of flood control projects located in the towns of Plaridel, Pandi and Bocaue.
Dizon then issued a memorandum to DPWH Regional Director Roseller Tolentino and to officer in charge district engineer Jayson Jauco to immediately carry out the suspension order.
Suspended were construction section chief John Michael Ramos; planning section chief Ernesto Galang; maintenance section officer in charge chief Lorenzo Pagtalunan; quality section chief Norberto Santos; maintenance section officer in charge chief Jaime Hernandez; administrative section chief Floralynn Simbulan; budget unit head Roberto Roque; procurement unit head Benedict Matawaran; and cashier Christina Pineda.
Also suspended were project engineers Paul Jayson Duya, Merg Jaron Laus, Lemuel Roque, Arjay Domasig, John Carlo Rivera, John Benex Francisco and Jolo Mari Tayao.
The suspension order against Alcantara, Hernandez, and engineers Jaypee Mendoza and Juanito Mendoza have been deemed as moot since they have been dismissed from government service.
In a statement, the Ombudsman said the ghost or graft-ridden projects either lacked the necessary supporting documents, were nonexistent, had discrepancies in their pinpointed locations or flawed approved bid plans.
The projects in the three towns had a total budget of P389.6 million.
At a press conference on Friday at Club Filipino in San Juan City, it was former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson’s turn to accuse what he said were favored contractors in Ilocos Norte of amassing billions in questionable flood control projects.
Singson also questioned how President Marcos could deny knowledge of the deals, since they were being implemented in his home province.
Singson presented the names of firms he said were behind the anomalies.
He said St. Matthew General Contractor and Development Corp. bagged P962 million in contracts, and St. Gerard Construction General Contractor and Development Corp., P600 million.
Alpha and Omega General Contractors and Development Corp. and St. Timothy Construction Corp., which had projects in Ilocos Norte, were also part of a pattern of repeat contractors.
“How can they not know this? This is their province,” Singson said.
He questioned the sincerity of ongoing investigations, but voiced support for the newly created Independent Commission on Infrastructure, saying its members were “good people.”
Saying that drawn-out inquiries would only prolong public suffering, he urged direct action to root out corruption in flood control programs across the country and underscored the need for the youth to stand against it.
Singson called on students and young people to lead a peaceful revolution against corruption, saying the fight was for the next generation.
