President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. declared on Friday that the government will pursue accountability after the Office of the Ombudsman recommended filing graft and malversation charges against officials and contractors tied to a nearly P100 million flood control project in Davao Occidental that was never implemented.
The project, supposed to be completed in 2022 in Culaman, Jose Abad Santos, was awarded to St. Timothy Construction Corporation on 13 January 2022.
In his video message, Marcos said the Ombudsman’s charges stem from a complaint filed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Those implicated include DPWH officials and contractors Cezarah Rowena Discaya and Maria Roma Angeline Remando of St. Timothy Construction Corporation.
An inspection by the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on September 25, 2025, confirmed that no construction had taken place.
Indigenous peoples and barangay officials corroborated in joint affidavits that the project was never implemented.
Marcos highlighted forged documents and unverifiable evidence submitted by the respondents.
“Final billing, certificate of completion, and inspection reports were falsified or did not match the actual condition of the project. Even the videos and photos submitted lacked timestamps and could not be validated,” the President lamented.
Meanwhile, the Ombudsman found that DPWH officials issued and approved documents to request and release nearly P100 million, despite no work being done.
The respondents were accused of acting with partiality, bad faith, or gross negligence, causing undue loss to the government while benefiting the contractor.
“Umpisa pa lang ito. Marami pa tayong ipapakulong at marami pang magpapasko sa kulungan (This is just the beginning. We still have many to put in jail, and many more will spend Christmas behind bars),” Marcos warned, as he underscored the seriousness of the offenses.
“Ang malversation ay non-bailable. Mabigat ito dahil hindi nila mababayaran ang kanilang paglaya. Pag naisampa na ang mga kasong ito sa korte, ang susunod na hakbang ng judiciary ay ang paglabas ng arrest warrant para sa mga pinangalanang indibidwal (Malversation is non-bailable. It is serious because they will not be able to pay for their release. Once these cases are filed in court, the next step for the judiciary is to issue arrest warrants for the individuals named),” he added.
With this, Marcos ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police to locate Discaya and the other respondents to guarantee their swift arrest once the warrants are issued.