Arrests ahead of Christmas fail to catch ‘big fish’ in flood control scandal

MANILA, Philippines — Despite it being Christmas Day, only contractor Sarah Discaya and a handful of officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have been arrested in connection with the flood control scandal.

Minority lawmakers are now asking: where are the arrests President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. promised before Christmas, and when will high-ranking officials implicated in the case be held to account?

In a joint statement on Thursday, December 25, the three-member Makabayan bloc criticized Marcos’ promise as “empty rhetoric,” aimed only at “pacifying public outrage” over the corruption besetting his administration.

“So much for ‘may magpa-Pasko sa kulungan.’ Pinaasa lang niya ang sambayanang Pilipino,” the bloc said. (So much for “someone will spend Christmas in jail.” He only gave false hope to the Filipino people.)

Calling it the “biggest Christmas scam,” the Makabayan lawmakers accused the Marcos administration of creating the illusion of fighting corruption while actually “protecting the powerful and well-connected.”

“The people demand genuine accountability, not seasonal press releases and hollow promises. His anti-corruption rhetoric is merely [a] performance designed to distract from his administration's failures,” they added.

Rep. Eli San Fernando (Kamanggagawa Party-list) likewise demanded urgency and action from the president to deliver on his “repeated promises,” especially after months worth of hearings and investigations have already led to cases recommended before the Office of the Ombudsman.  

RELATED: ‘No Merry Christmas’: Marcos vows December jail for officials in flood control mess

While DPWH officials are public servants, San Fernando said that no politician implicated in the flood control scandal — whether from Congress or the executive branch — has been issued an arrest warrant or jailed, contrary to Marcos’ promise.

So far, mostly low-level personnel have been apprehended. But what about the “big fish?” he asked. 

“Hindi sapat na mga DPWH officials o mga contractor lang ang makulong,” he said in a statement on December 24. (It’s not enough that DPWH officials or contractors are the only ones jailed.)

Marcos, however, has repeatedly insisted that there will be no sacred cows in the flood control investigation, saying even his cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, or his son, House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, should face accountability if needed.

San Fernando said that if the president is serious, both House lawmakers and senators allegedly involved in the anomalous flood control projects and kickback scheme should be held accountable, too.

“Hindi pwedeng tagalinis lang ang hinahabol habang ang mga utak at padrino ay ligtas,” he added. (You can’t just go after the cleaners while the masterminds and patrons remain safe.)

Those who have been arrested include eight DPWH officials tied to the P289.5-million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro that was awarded to Sunwest Inc., the firm resigned Rep. Elizaldy Co founded.

Meanwhile, Discaya was arrested in connection with a P96.5-million ghost project in Davao handled by her construction firm, Alpha & Omega. She was taken into custody after surrendering to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) earlier this month.

Even Bulacan district and assistant district engineers Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza — who were among the first to implicate politicians and confess to delivering kickbacks — don’t have arrest warrants out for them. 

They remain detained in the Senate after being cited in contempt. 

San Fernando said the situation is made worse by the fact that key figures who could serve as witnesses and be held accountable are getting away. 

It has reached the point where a high-ranking official, particularly former DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, has already died while still holding crucial knowledge about the budget insertions and allocations. 

The minority lawmakers urged the Filipino people to stay vigilant and resolute in demanding accountability from the government, especially with the new year approaching and a new budget set for scrutiny.