THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has filed malversation and graft charges against 21 DPWH officials and two contractors over the anomalous flood control projects in La Union and Davao Occidental worth a total of P276 million.
DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon personally filed the complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday, October 23, 2025.
He said the filing of charges came following the discovery of P96.5 million worth of ghost projects in Davao Occidental and two phases of the unfinished flood control projects in La Union valued at P89.7 million each.
Dizon said the Davao Occidental project was awarded to the St. Timothy Construction owned by the controversial couple, Sarah and Pacifico Discaya, while the La Union project was won by the Silverwolves Construction to which Benguet Lone District Representative Eric Yap, the House committee on appropriations chairman from 2020 to 2022, serves as a beneficial owner.
“The Davao Occidental project was bid in 2021, awarded in 2022, and supposed to be completed in 2022 but according to the testimonies of the residents itself and also upon investigation of the PNP-CIDG and the construction that was started there was started only last August of this year, already three years since the supposed completion and full payment of the project. So it is clearly a ghost project,” Dizon said.
“On the other hand, this La Union project, again, is a substandard project. Again, fully paid but not yet completed,” he added.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Yap and Davao Occidental Representative Claude Bautista are considered persons of interest in the case.
“A person of interest here is Congressman Eric Yap, who is known to be the beneficial owner of the company (Silverwolves). He divested from it a few years ago, supposedly, but there is reason to suspect that he's still the beneficial owner of the company, so there's a clear case of conflict of interest also, punishable also under Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices),” Remulla said.
“We will also look into the allegations that Claude Bautista, the congressman from there, at that time, I think, siya pa ‘yung congressman, is the beneficial owner of the construction company,” he added.
Remulla also said Yap's brother Edvic, a representative of the ACT-CIS party-list, and Bulacan Representative Salvador Pleyto received money through bank transfers from contractors the embattled Discaya couple from 2019 to 2020.
“Magkapatid ‘yan, Eric and Edvic Yap, meron na kami nakuhang transmittal ng pera from the AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) papunta kay Edvic Yap. So, nakita namin may pattern talaga na meron talaga silang kinalaman sa mga kontrata kasi ‘yung transmittal ng pera, galing sa Discaya…That’s P70 million. The other one is Salvador Pleyto, congressman for Bulacan, iyong kasama sa remittance ng Discaya na na-tag ng Anti-Money Laundering Council,” Remulla said.
(They’re brothers — Eric and Edvic Yap. We already obtained a money transmittal record from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) showing funds sent to Edvic Yap. So, we saw a clear pattern indicating their involvement in the contracts, since the money transfer came from Discaya — that’s P70 million. Another one involved is Salvador Pleyto, a congressman from Bulacan, who was also included in the Discaya remittance flagged by the AMLC.)
“Kasama sila sa pagkilos ng kontrata. Sila'y nakikialam at nakikisa sa pagkilos ng kontrata. Bakit magbibigay ang kontratista ng P70 million papunta sa isang tao kung hindi dahil sa kontrata?” he added.
(They were involved in the handling of the contract. They interfered and participated in its execution. Why would a contractor send P70 million to someone if it weren’t because of the contract?)
In a statement, Pleyto condemned the accusations and insinuations against him, as he demanded for the release of the AMLC report mentioned by Remulla.
“Until such time that I have a copy of the official report from the AMLC, I urge the public to refrain from drawing conclusions or spreading unverified information that may cause undue harm to my personal reputation, both as a private person and a public servant,” he said. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)