The Philippines is grappling with yet another corruption scandal, this time spotlighting businesswoman Cezarah "Sarah" Discaya, infamously dubbed the "flood control queen." The case has exposed the deeply ingrained culture of corruption that many Filipinos have become accustomed to. While Discaya's impending arrest is a significant development, analysts believe it's unlikely to quell the rising public anger towards a system perceived as enabling corruption to flourish unchecked.
The scandal revolves around allegations that Discaya pocketed millions from a government-funded flood control project in Davao Occidental province that was never completed. The Office of the Ombudsman has filed corruption charges against Discaya, president of St. Timothy Construction, and eight officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) concerning a 100-million-peso (US$1.7 million) project. This is the second set of charges in an investigation that has sparked weeks of protests demanding accountability.
Senate investigations revealed that companies linked to the Discaya family secured 345 infrastructure contracts worth 25.2 billion pesos (US$430 million). During a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, Discaya admitted that her nine construction firms were sometimes simultaneously involved in bidding for the same government flood control projects. Further complicating matters, Sarah and her husband, Curlee Discaya, implicated several congressmen, their staff, and DPWH officials in the corruption scheme. They expressed willingness to become state witnesses and requested protection for their family.
President Marcos Jr. himself called for a review of flood mitigation programs, questioning the concentration of projects awarded to select contractors. He also criticized a flood mitigation structure in Bulacan as a "ghost" project, visibly unfinished and structurally deficient despite a ₱96.49 million (US$1.96 million) budget.
The scale of corruption is staggering. It's estimated that up to 70% of government funds for flood control projects have been lost to graft. The government estimates that between 2023 and 2025, the country lost 118.5 billion pesos (S$2.5 billion) annually due to flood control graft. Funds meant for infrastructure vanished into substandard work or "ghost" projects. The consequences are dire. Typhoon Kalmaegi caused nearly 200 deaths and affected over two million people late last year.
This scandal isn't an isolated incident. The Philippines consistently scores poorly on global corruption indices. Businesses lament the need to bribe bureaucrats for permits, and crony capitalism is rampant. The Commission on Elections also suffers from corruption with a lack of regulation in campaign donations, which makes public funds vulnerable. In 2022, at least 30 contractors who donated to senators and representatives received government projects.
Discaya's case highlights the urgent need for systemic change. Gino Trinidad, a political science instructor at Ateneo de Manila University, suggests that focusing solely on Discaya is like "chasing the small fry," as investigations have implicated other politicians, including those formerly allied with the president. While Discaya's arrest is symbolically important, deeper reforms are necessary to combat the deeply entrenched corruption in the Philippines.
