Filipinos Push Back: Why Many Say Discaya Deserves No Privileges
DISCAYA – Public frustration is mounting as many Filipinos call on the courts to deny any form of special treatment to those accused in the controversial PHP96.5-billion flood control ghost project.
Many Filipinos are strongly urging the courts not to grant special treatment to the accused in the alleged PHP96.5-billion flood control ghost project in Davao Occidental. This comes amid the request of contractor Sarah Discaya and eight of her co-accused to be returned to the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Public outrage intensified following the immediate motion filed by the lawyers of the accused seeking for them to remain under NBI custody, with Discaya staying at the NBI detention facility in Pasay City, and her co-accused at the NBI detention facility in Davao.
Discaya and her fellow accused have been detained at the Lapu-Lapu City Jail in Mactan, Cebu, since Saturday, December 20, 2025, in connection with graft and malversation of public funds cases. Discaya requested to be transferred back to the NBI detention facility in Pasay City.
If approved, she also wants to attend court hearings related to her case through video conferencing.
This further angered many Filipinos, as it appeared that she was the one setting the conditions.
The court has given the Office of the Ombudsman ten days to respond to the motion filed by Discaya and her co-accused involved in the alleged flood control scam.
Lacson Recommends Not to Grant Holiday Furlough for the Accused
Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson Sr. recommended to Senate President Tito Sotto that those accused of the flood control project anomalies should not be granted holiday furlough or temporary leave from detention at the Senate detention facility. These include contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II and former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers Brice Hernandez, Jaypee Mendoza, and Henry Alcantara.
The four have been detained at the Senate detention facility since September 18, 2025, after being cited in contempt during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings on the alleged anomalies surrounding the flood control scam.
The detainees requested permission to go home for Christmas to be with their families, but Lacson opposed the request.
Lacson shared his reasons on his social media pages.
He stated: “Walang pansamantalang bakasyon mula sa Senate detention-
“Because of security concerns, holiday furlough will not be allowed for contractor Pacifico ‘Curlee’ Discaya II and the former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers detained at the Senate in connection with the anomalous flood control projects scandal.
“I recommended to the Senate President that their request for Christmas furlough be denied mainly for security reasons, owing to the repeated media statements from Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla and President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. that arrest warrants against them will be issued before Christmas.
“So the risk of escape becomes greater—not to mention that it makes no sense to grant such requests for Christmas leave if indeed warrants are coming out by then.”
Instead of granting holiday furlough, Lacson said that the families of the accused may visit them at the Senate detention facility during the upcoming Christmas season.
READ ALSO: Kakai Bautista Explodes at Sarah Discaya After Emotional Plea About Family