Discaya group pleads innocent

Trader Sarah Discaya and her co-accused pleaded not guilty during their arraignment before a Cebu court, according to a lawyer of one of the accused.

Atty. Cornelio Samaniego confirmed Discaya’s plea but declined to disclose the names of her lawyers, citing a lack of consent.

Samaniego said the court set 27 January for the marking of exhibits before the branch clerk of court and 3 February for the pretrial conference.

He also gave an update on the case of Ma. Roma Rimando of St. Timothy, whom he represents. Rimando also pleaded not guilty, he said.

Samaniego said the defense will file a petition for bail within 10 days, along with a motion seeking a joint ocular inspection at the expense of St. Timothy and Rimando, also within 10 days.

Earlier, the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of two criminal complaints involving Discaya and several Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers from Davao Occidental to the Regional Trial Court of Lapu-Lapu City, as authorities move closer to enforcing arrest warrants over the alleged P96.5-million ghost flood control projects in Mindanao.

The cases stemmed from complaints filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in December 2025, charging Discaya and several DPWH engineers with graft and malversation over an allegedly non-existent flood control project in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental.