CONTRACTOR Sarah Discaya and Roma Rimando of St. Timothy Construction have filed a petition for bail in connection with their non-bailable malversation of public funds case, according to Discaya’s spokesperson on Tuesday.
Their lawyer, Cornelio Samaniego III, confirmed that the bail petition was filed before the Lapu-Lapu City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 27.
“Both Roma Rimando and Sarah Discaya filed the petition,” Samaniego said in a message.
The two have pleaded not guilty to the charges and are currently detained at the Lapu-Lapu City Jail.
In December 2025, the Office of the Ombudsman filed malversation and graft charges against Discaya, Rimando, and other respondents over the alleged P96.5-million ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental.
Authorities claimed that public funds were released for a project that was either incomplete or non-existent, raising questions about the alleged misuse of government money.
Apart from the malversation case, Discaya is also facing four counts of tax evasion before the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA).
The charges stem from alleged violations of Sections 254 and 255 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, which penalize the willful attempt to evade taxes and the failure to supply accurate and correct tax information.
ABOUT THE CASE
The case against Sarah Discaya and her co-accused is among several high-profile corruption cases involving alleged “ghost projects,” a term used to describe government-funded infrastructure projects that exist only on paper or are grossly under-implemented despite full payment.
Flood control projects, in particular, have long been under scrutiny due to their vulnerability to corruption and their critical role in disaster-prone areas such as Mindanao.
The Ombudsman has repeatedly flagged such projects as priority cases because of their direct impact on public safety and the use of large sums of public money.
Discaya’s separate tax evasion cases before the CTA add another legal front, potentially complicating her defense as proceedings move forward in multiple courts.