Following the decision of Curlee and Sarah Discaya to no longer cooperate with the investigation on flood control projects of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), Assistant to the Ombudsman Mico Clavano said that the couple was misguided.

Atty. Clavano said that the couple has no viable alternative right now other than cooperating with the government, which would also serve the public interest in the controversial flood control projects.

“They are misguided. Cooperation with the government is their only option right now. It will serve the public’s interest as well,” Clavano said.

Department of Justice (DOJ) acting chief Fredderick Vida on Monday expressed that the department is still not satisfied with the information provided by the Discaya couple, who are considered protected witnesses.

During a press interview on Tuesday, the DOJ officer-in-charge said that the aggrieved party in the cases is the public, and emphasized that those involved in the “ghost projects,” including the Discaya couple, have no right to make any requests or set conditions.

“The aggrieved party here is the Filipino public,” Vida said. “Those who caused the grievance have no right to dictate how we should do our work. The government is here to fulfill its duty—and they should be the ones following our rules, not the other way around.”