It is in connection with the flood control projects in Bulacan.
On Thursday, June 4, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon and Assistant to the Ombudsman Mico Clavano led the filing of charges against contractors Sarah and Curlee Discaya, as well as other officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Bulacan.
The government pressed graft and malversation charges against these personalities over the substandard project in Barangay Bulusan in Calumpit, Bulacan, which is one of the first sites visited by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. when the controversy broke.
“Pormal nang sinampahan ng kaso si Curlee Discaya at iba pang opisyal ng DPWH na sangkot sa maanomalyang flood control projects sa Bulusan, Calumpit, Bulacan kaninang umaga sa Malolos Regional Trial Court sa Bulacan,” announced Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro.
According to Dizon, the Discaya couple can be considered “big fish” in the flood control mess, which has already been running since August 2025.
“Big fish talaga ang mga Discaya. Ang mga Discaya parang mga Napoles ‘yan dito sa flood control scam,” the Public Works chief said, referencing Janet Lim-Napoles of the infamous Pork Barrel Scam in 2013.
“Talagang malaking isda ‘yan. 2016 pa lang, nag-ooperate na sila. Bilyun-bilyong piso ang kanilang ninakaw. At dahil do’n, grabe ‘yung mga pagdurusang dinaranas ng mga kababayan natin kagaya ng sa Bulusan,” he added.
The respondents face charges for alleged violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, as well as criminal charges for malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents, according to Castro.
“Malalaman natin at naaalala natin na ang mga Discaya ay namayagpag sa kanilang mga proyekto noong taon pang 2016. Curlee Discaya along with 10 other individuals spanning various roles within the DPWH-Bulacan First DEO (District Engineering Office) and the private sector. So, iyan ang mga ikinaso sa kanila,” noted Castro.
At present, Curlee Discaya remains under Senate custody. However, his wife, Sarah Discaya, is detained in Cebu after being put behind bars in December 2025 as one of the 10 individuals linked to the PHP96.5 million “ghost” or non-existent flood control project in Davao Occidental.
Notably, they have also been implicated in other allegedly anomalous flood control projects worth billions of pesos.