MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Tuesday that an arrest warrant against St. Timothy Construction owner Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya is expected to be issued within the week, days after he announced the imminent arrest of a major contractor linked to alleged anomalous flood control projects.
“Inaasahan na din nating lalabas ang warrant of arrest ni Sarah Discaya itong linggong ito at hindi na rin magtatagal ang pag-aresto sa kanya,” Marcos said in a recorded video message posted on his official social media accounts.
The President also disclosed that eight employees of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Davao Occidental have written to authorities, expressing their intention to surrender to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in connection with pending cases.
Last week, Marcos said malversation and falsification of public documents charges would soon be filed against Discaya and several DPWH officials over a nearly ₱100-million anti-flood project in Davao Occidental that was allegedly never implemented.
Over the weekend, the Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed that intelligence and tracker teams had been deployed to locate Discaya and other suspects involved in the missing flood control project.
Discaya is the wife of Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya, owner of St. Gerrard Construction and several other firms. Curlee Discaya earlier testified before the Senate, admitting that contractors had colluded with lawmakers and DPWH officials to secure millions of pesos in kickbacks through substandard flood control projects.
In his message, Marcos stressed that funds intended for communities repeatedly hit by flooding must not be stolen. “Para sa mga Pilipinong paulit-ulit binabaha, nawawalan ng bahay at kabuhayan, hindi na maaaring nakawin ang pondong para sa inyo at basta na lamang tumakas sa hustisya,” he said.
The President added that investigations will continue and those responsible will be held accountable, vowing that stolen public funds will be recovered and returned to the people.
The corruption allegations surrounding flood control projects have taken a toll on Marcos’ approval ratings in recent months and have been blamed for slowing public and private spending.
Analysts have also linked the controversy to stock market losses and the peso’s recent decline against the US dollar.
Earlier, Marcos pledged that around 40 individuals connected to the anomalous flood control projects would be jailed before Christmas.