THE Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has cited in contempt dismissed Bulacan first district engineer Henry Alcantara and construction firm owner Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya for lying during the hearing on anomalous flood control projects on Thursday, September 18, 2025.
The committee first cited Discaya in contempt for “lying” about the reason for his wife Sarah’s absence during the proceedings.
Pacifico claimed his wife failed to attend the hearing due to a heart condition. However, in a letter sent to the committee, Sarah asked to be excused because of an important meeting with their firm’s employees “to explain the problem that the company is facing now and the effects this has on them.”
Pacifico later added that his wife also has diabetes and hypertension, which still did not align with the reasons Sarah cited in her letter.
The Discaya couple owns two of the 15 construction firms that cornered the most number of flood control projects from the government from 2022 to 2025.
Over the past three years, Discaya firms bagged around P31 billion worth of government infrastructure contracts, including flood control projects.
They were in hot water over substandard flood control projects, including the one inspected by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Barangay Bulusan in Calumpit, Bulacan on August 15.
Marcos himself flagged the “failed project” worth P96.4 million, which was awarded to St. Timothy Construction Corporation of the Discayas.
In total, the Discayas has nine construction companies.
The couple is also facing public scrutiny over their lavish lifestyle, especially owning around 40 luxury vehicles, which are now under the custody and investigation of the Bureau of Customs.
The panel also cited Alcantara in contempt for continuously insisting that he has nothing to do with the ghost flood control projects in the province of Bulacan.
“Dalawang hearing na itong nagsisinungaling. Sa mga taong nasa baba, lahat may kasalanan, ikaw wala. District engineer ka, hindi mo alam na may ghost projects. Wala ka rin alam, lumubo 'yung budget mo. Hindi ba dumadaan sa lamesa mo 'yan na lumaki 'yung pondo mo?” Senator Erwin Tulfo said.
(This is the second hearing where you’ve been lying. For the people under you, everyone’s at fault, but not you. You’re the district engineer, yet you don’t know there are ghost projects. You also claim you don’t know why your budget ballooned. Doesn’t it pass through your desk when your funds increase?) (TPM/SunStar Philippines)