(Third of a series)
Wanted: people who are willing to step forward and expose the truth.
This is the call of the Institute for Consumer Research and Empowerment (ICORE) as the revelations and exposés on the billions of pesos in flood-control projects that were allegedly lost to greedy hands continue to pile up.
Nearly a month into the continuous unraveling of the chain of greed and corruption among public officials and private contractors, ICORE convenor Ray Junia said the time has come for the public, especially in Laguna province, to come forward and assist ICORE in its continuing investigation into the anomalous flood control projects in Laguna province.
“OpinYon Laguna already started this checking in early September, using data gathered from official government sources and other media organizations,” Junia, who is also the publisher of OpinYon Laguna and OpinYon Tacloban, said.
“However, we are sure that, like a river being dredged, more and more secrets are likely to be revealed as people come forward with additional facts,” he added.
RevelationsJunia made this call as OpinYon Laguna’s continuing research into the millions of pesos allocated in flood-control projects in Laguna province exposes the insidious role played by the Discaya couple, whose contracting companies allegedly raked in billions in major infrastructure projects in past years.
To recall, Sarah Discaya admitted during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing last September 1 that they own at least nine construction companies which were implicated in the substandard or ghost projects issue.
Some of these companies had also been included as among the 15 companies listed by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. as allegedly having “cornered” over P100 billion in contracts for flood-control projects.
These companies include St. Gerrard Construction Gen. Contractor & Dev’t Corporation; St. Matthew General Contractor and Development Corporation; Alpha & Omega Gen. Contractor & Dev’t Corporation; Great Pacific Builders and General Contractor, Inc.; Amethyst Horizon Builders and Gen. Contractor & Dev’t Corporation; Way Maker OPC; St. Timothy Construction Corporation; YPR General Contractor and Construction Supply, Inc.; and Elite General Contractor and Development Corp.
Windfall
Upon checking by the OpinYon research team, it was discovered that most of these companies were also involved in the construction of flood-control projects in the first district of Laguna in past years.
In San Pedro City, for instance, for the year 2023, YPR General Contractor bagged the contract for "Construction of Slope Protection at Barangay Narra, San Pedro, Laguna," a project with a total price tab of P112 million.
But for 2024, it appears as if the Discaya-connected companies received a windfall: three major flood control projects were bagged by Amethyst Horizon Builders; two projects by Elite General Contractor and Development; and one project by Great Pacific Builders and General Contractor. Total combined budget of these projects: P390 million.
And it gets worse (or better, from the Discayas' point of view) in 2025: their companies received the contract for seven out of 11 flood-control projects allocated to San Pedro City for that year.
Contracts for three of these projects were awarded to Elite General Contractor and Development; two to Amethyst Horizon Builders; and one each to Great Pacific Builders and General Contractor to YPR General Contractor and Construction Supply.
Total amount of projects allocated to the Discaya-linked contractors for 2025: a whopping P491 million.
That translates to a 338-percent increase in the total amount of projects awarded to these companies in just over three years. And that was for San Pedro City alone.
Quality questioned
To recall, representatives of the Commission on Audit (COA) said in a recent flood-control summit organized in San Pedro City last month that they have verified the absence of so-called “ghost projects (that is, projects that were certified by DPWH officials as “complete” despite not being constructed at all.)
But the main issue here isn’t ghost projects. The question San Pedrenses should ask here is: are these projects really safe?
After all, it’s a big open secret that members of Congress receive 25 to 35 percent of the budget allocated to those flood-control projects.
That meant that certain legislators can get up to P25 million in a single project alone – what more when there are up to 11 big-ticket flood-control projects in San Pedro City alone for the year 2025?
If it is true that the Discayas and corrupt DPWH officials have made millions out of substandard flood-control projects (and, possibly, other major infrastructure works as well), then we might as well consider these flood-control projects ticking time bombs, simply waiting for the next heavy rainfall to unleash devastation instead of protection.
Time to tell the truth
These are just one of the many aspects that Junia seeks to discover as he called on concerned citizens in Laguna to aid ICORE in its ongoing investigation into these projects.
“We believe that there are people, particularly those inside government agencies, who are willing to divulge what they know for the sake of public accountability, but who are reluctant to,” he said.
“The people are angry, and want accountability. But for accountability to take hold, we must have all the facts on the table. We believe that through this initiative, we can ensure not only that the officials who stole will be held liable for their actions, but will also serve as a cautionary tale against those who are planning to rob our coffers in the future,” Junia added.
Interested individuals who are willing to join OpinYon Laguna and ICORE’s joint initiative may write to OpinYon Laguna, 10 Pacita Avenue, San Pedro City, Laguna, or through OpinYon Laguna’s official Facebook page.
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