The Regional Trial Court in Lapu-Lapu City has granted controversial contractor Sarah Discaya bail amounting to P1 million in connection with the alleged P96.5 million ghost revetment project in Davao Occidental.

In a resolution dated 7 July, Branch 27 Presiding Judge Nelson Leyco said the prosecution's evidence was insufficient at this stage to establish Discaya's direct participation in the alleged falsification of documents or conspiracy with the other accused.

"The pieces of evidence highlighted by the prosecution are not yet enough to prove Discaya's instrumental participation in committing the criminal act of falsifying the documents or in conspiring with the other accused," the court said.

The court also granted P300,000 bail to Czar Ryan Ubungen, acting chief of the Finance Section of the Department of Public Works and Highways-Davao Occidental District Engineering Office.

However, the court denied bail to several other accused DPWH officials, including St. Timothy Construction managing officer Ma. Roma Angeline Rimando.

Discaya and nine co-accused are facing charges for allegedly conspiring to facilitate the release of P96.5 million for the construction of a revetment project along the Culaman River in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental, which investigators said was never implemented.

Discaya was arrested in December 2025 and pleaded not guilty in January to graft and malversation charges.

Prosecutors alleged that St. Timothy Construction falsely claimed a 30.65 percent accomplishment rate for the project within just four days.

In its resolution, the court observed that manually placing 5,320 cubic meters of rock within that period would have been "astonishing."

The court also cited allegations that construction supposedly began before the contract was officially awarded and noted a 400-meter discrepancy between the project's actual location and the coordinates indicated in the approved plans.

Investigators likewise found that the contractor's as-built plans were nearly identical to the detailed engineering design, while the presence of newly poured concrete and the absence of old foundations supported allegations that the project was a ghost project.

In a separate two-page reflection attached to the resolution, Judge Leyco acknowledged that granting bail in a high-profile corruption case could be viewed as "a setback in the fight against corruption."

However, he stressed that judges are bound to apply the law as it exists rather than decide cases based on personal beliefs or public sentiment.

"The Rule of Law demands that judges decide cases according to the law as it presently exists, and not according to their personal preferences or deepest convictions," Leyco wrote.

He also discussed the constitutional presumption of innocence and the requirement of proof beyond reasonable doubt, saying these legal standards may sometimes appear to hinder accountability but remain fundamental protections under the justice system.