Embattled contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya has expressed his deep frustration with the government, claiming that despite exposing the corruption in flood control projects, he and other contractors have been punished, while politicians allegedly involved remain untouched.

A source close to Discaya, who requested anonymity, said the contractor feels he has sacrificed everything — including his safety and reputation — to expose a system that exploits both the people and contractors.

“They are making us the big fish,” Discaya reportedly said. “They keep talking about P180 billion in projects, but that was over 20 years. Yet they make it seem as if we just got it all now.”

Discaya denied allegations of ghost projects, insisting that most of their work involved actual roads and schools.

“We don’t have ghost projects. Most of our projects were audited by the Commission on Audit. If ghost projects existed, it was because someone intentionally set them up to misappropriate funds,” he said.

He also expressed regret about naming politicians who allegedly received kickbacks.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have named them. Maybe we should have just gone along with the system. But when we exposed these corrupt practices, we ended up being seen as the bad guys,” Discaya said.

According to the source, Discaya criticized the Senate inquiries for focusing only on projects from 2022 onward, although sometimes they went back to 2016 to include politicians from previous administrations.

“They acted as if all the issues started recently, but it was really a longstanding system of corruption,” he said.

Discaya revealed the personal toll his whistleblowing has taken, including the imprisonment of his wife, Sarah, over accusations of a “ghost project.”

“If we hadn’t named the politicians, my wife wouldn’t be in jail. The project she’s accused of ghosting actually exists,” he said, adding that their legal team is prepared to prove the project’s existence.

Despite these setbacks, Discaya noted that exposing the system has led to positive changes.

“Now contractors are more cautious. The standard operating procedure (SOP) extortion by politicians has dropped to 10 percent. Contractors are more careful and less brazen. In that sense, our actions helped expose the system,” he said.

Discaya explained that flood control projects were never truly unfinished but implemented in phases due to funding limitations.

“Every flood control project is ongoing. Phase 1 is done first, then Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4 follow when funds are available. The system is designed this way,” he said.

He also bared the unfair advantages given to contractors willing to give kickbacks.

“Contractors who refuse to pay SOPs are disqualified, even if their work and equipment are sufficient. Those who pay are allowed to proceed, even if they have used equipment,” Discaya said.

Department of Public Works and Highways regional directors and district engineers, he said, often complied with politicians’ orders out of fear for their careers. “They abandoned us. They didn’t defend us. They let us take the fall,” he said.

Discaya believes that despite the hardships, revealing the system was necessary.

“We may have been blamed, but at least we exposed the SOP extortion and how politicians manipulate projects. Other contractors now see the system for what it really is,” he said.

However, he lamented being singled out while other contractors were not investigated.

“Of the 15 contractors called in, only we were left behind. Why are we the ones being blamed when all contractors were paying SOPs?” he asked. “Other contractors have seen what happened to Sarah and decided to stay silent. Speaking up just makes you a target.”