CONTROVERSIAL contractor Sarah Discaya and nine co-accused plan to present 26 witnesses to fight graft and malversation charges over an alleged P96.5-million “ghost” flood control project in Davao Occidental.
The Office of the Ombudsman alleged that public officials received full payment in February 2023 for a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) project they never finished.
Lawyers for the accused say the project was completed but later ruined by typhoons and heavy rains. Joseph Randi Torregosa, Larete’s lawyer, said unfinished repairs were delayed because of local political conditions. Paul Tristan Sato, lawyer for the other DPWH officials, backed this statement.
Both sides finalized their line-ups during the online pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. The defense has 26 witnesses: nine for DPWH district officer-in-charge Rodrigo Larete, 13 for other DPWH officials, three for contractor Maria Roma Rimando and one for Discaya.
The prosecution, for its part, listed 18 witnesses, including personnel from the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Eleven will identify documents, while seven will testify.
Lapu-Lapu City Regional Trial Court Branch 27 Judge Nelson Leyco gave the prosecution five days to submit a witness summary.
Leyco will use this to decide if witnesses must appear in court, as requested by the defense to observe their demeanor, or if they can testify online. The trial starts April 7, with 12 dates set through September. / DPC