NBI Receives Voluntary Surrender of Contractor Sarah Discaya
SARAH DISCAYA — The controversial contractor voluntarily surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Pasay City ahead of the expected release of an arrest warrant against her. She arrived at the NBI headquarters early Tuesday morning, December 9, 2025, only a few hours after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that the arrest order for her would likely be issued within the week.
The arrest warrant is connected to Discaya’s alleged involvement in a ghost flood control project in Barangay Culaman, Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental. The project, valued at PHP 96.5 million, was reportedly never carried out despite being funded. According to President Marcos, authorities had been anticipating the release of the warrant, and he emphasized that her arrest was only a matter of time. His statement apparently prompted Discaya to surrender so she could wait for the warrant while already in NBI custody.
Discaya’s decision came amid growing scrutiny over irregularities involving her construction company, which has been linked to questionable infrastructure projects. Her voluntary surrender is being viewed as an effort to cooperate with the investigation rather than evade authorities.
Another person connected to the case, Ma. Roma Angeline Rimando, also surrendered—this time to the Pasig City Police. Rimando is the niece of Sarah’s husband, Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya III, and serves as the president of St. Timothy Construction, one of the Discaya family’s companies believed to be involved in the same fraudulent project.
Rimando surrendered on Monday, December 8, a day before Discaya, following the President’s directive to the Philippine National Police (PNP) to pursue her and several officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). These officials are also suspected of participating in the anomalies linked to the ghost project in Davao Occidental.
As part of her surrender, Rimando handed over her passport to show cooperation and assure authorities that she had no intention of fleeing. Both surrenders reflect the growing pressure on individuals implicated in the alleged large-scale corruption scheme. Authorities are now moving forward with the legal process to determine their accountability and uncover the full extent of the irregularities.