Here in the Philippines, a lot of people are angry over the flood control projects scandals. This is in reference to several flood control projects that collectively remained incomplete, completed but got damaged later due to using sub-standard materials, and that alleged kickbacks were involved in the awarding of contracts by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to contractors.
In the City of Las Piñas, Congressman Mark Santos revealed that four construction firms owned by the controversial Discaya couple were awarded contracts for thirteen projects in the city worth more than P450 million, according to a Malaya Business Insight news report. It should be noted that a lot of DPWH projects lacked permits from the City Government. On the other hand, Sarah Discaya admitted owning several construction firms that bid for DPWH projects.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Malaya news report. Some parts in boldface…
FOUR construction firms owned by Sarah Discaya cornered 13 flood control and national infrastructure projects, worth about P452 million, in Las Piñas City in the past three years, city Rep. Mark Anthony Santos said yesterday.
Santos laughed off Discaya’s denial in the Senate, saying records from the Department of Public Works and Highways would show that her firm Alpha & Omega’s P18.9-million flood control project in Barangay Zapote was a “glaring failure” as it was only 26.41 percent completed when the construction deadline lapsed in August 2025.
The neophyte lawmaker said that aside from Alpha & Omega General Construction and Development Corp., Discaya’s other companies, St. Matthew General Contractor and Development Corp.; Amethyst Horizon Builders and General Contractor; and Great Pacific Builders and General Contractor Inc., also got several multi-million-peso projects in Las Piñas between 2022 and 2025.
Alpha & Omega, which cornered about P100 billion of the P545.6-billion budget from July 2022 to May 2025, was among the top 15 contractors for flood control projects earlier identified by the President.
Santos disclosed that the Las Piñas-Muntinlupa District Engineering Office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), formerly headed by district engineer Isabelo Baleros, awarded Alpha & Omega a P49-million contract in February 2022 for the construction of a flood control structure along Mahabang Ilog in Barangay Zapote.
However, just a month later, Santos said the DPWH office handed another P49-million flood control project in Mahabang Tubig, also in Zapote, to another Discaya’s firm, St. Matthew General Contractor and Development Corp.
He said Discaya’s Great Pacific Builders and General Contractor Inc. also received a P26.3-million contract in February 2023 for a flood control project along Manarigo Creek.
Just a month later, in March 2023, Santos said another P49-million flood control project for Paliwas Creek was awarded to Amethyst Horizon Builders and General Contractor, also one of the nine construction firms of the Discayas.
Santos said all flood control projects in his city from 2022 to 2025 that were awarded to the Discayas’ construction firms were confirmed by DPWH Undersecretary for Technical Services Ador Canlas.
“Records speak louder than claims. The Discayas’ repeated awards in Las Piñas are documented, and they cannot hide behind denials or excuses,” Santos said in a statement.
Santos said Canlas also told him that nine multi-million-peso government infrastructure projects had been awarded to the four construction firms of the Discayas, which includes the P9.7-million road rehabilitation in Barangay Zapote, the P6.8-million road rehabilitation in Barangay Talon 5, and the P9.8-million rehabilitation of Las Piñas Elementary School–Central.
The lawmaker said all three projects were awarded to Amethyst Horizon Builders in 2022 under Baleros who was appointed head of the DPWH Las Piñas–Muntinlupa District Engineering Office in August 2018 when the DPWH was headed by then Secretary now Sen. Mark Villar.
Santos said Discaya’s Great Pacific Builders “further solidified the family’s stranglehold on Las Piñas infrastructure” when it also secured the P4.8-million school building rehabilitation in Barangay Talon 1 in 2023.
He said the contracts did not end there as these were followed by another two P14.4-million multi-purpose building rehabilitations in 2024 in Barangay Manuyo Dos and Barangay Pulang Lupa Dos, “underscoring a clear pattern of cornering lucrative government contracts.”
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a resident of Las Piñas City, what is your reaction to this development? Are you concerned that the many questionable flood control projects in the city will leave people vulnerable to more flooding incidents in the near future?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
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