Flood control failures: Iloilo mayor joins Pasig in questioning Discaya-tied contractors
MANILA, Philippines (2nd update. First published: Aug. 13, 9:07 a.m.) — Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto isn’t the only city chief raising concerns about the Discaya family’s construction firms being top contractors for flood control projects, especially given their notoriety for alleged anomalies in previous projects.
Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas also revealed troubling findings from the city’s engineering office. She identified four flood control projects that were either “non-functional,” “nonexistent” or even causing flooding instead of preventing it.
In a Facebook post on Monday, August 11, Treñas said that St. Timothy Construction Corp. and Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corp. are actively managing major flood control projects in Iloilo City.
These two firms were also named among the top five contractors awarded flood control contracts across nearly all regions of the country in President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s audit report.
Treñas cited three problematic projects awarded to St. Timothy Construction Corp. and one to Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corp., according to the Iloilo City District Engineering Office’s status report as of July 31, 2025.
| Iloilo’s 4 flood control projects under scrutiny | |||
| Contractor | Project | Cost | Original Expiry Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Timothy Construction Corp. | Construction of Flood Mitigation Structure – Section 1, Lapuz, Iloilo City | P150 million | 12/16/2024 |
| St. Timothy Construction Corp. | Construction of Flood Mitigation Structure – Section 2, Lapuz, Iloilo City | P150 million | 12/16/2024 |
| St. Timothy Construction Corp. | Construction of Flood Mitigation Structure – Section 1, Iloilo City, Iloilo | P125 million | 11/14/2024 |
| Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corp. | Iloilo Comprehensive Flood Mitigation Project – Section 2 | P150 million | 03/24/2026 |
Two of the projects involved the construction of flood mitigation structures in Lapuz, Iloilo City, with a combined budget of P300 million. Both had an original completion date of Dec. 16, 2024.
Another project awarded to St. Timothy Construction Corp. was for one section of a flood mitigation structure in Iloilo City, valued at P125 million.
Its target completion date was Nov. 14, 2024, but Treñas said it was suspended on June 9, 2025, due to obstructions and the lack of a specific address.
Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corp., meanwhile, was contracted to manage the “comprehensive flood mitigation project” worth P150 million.
Treñas did not specify whether this covered Iloilo City or the entire province, but the project’s completion date is set for March 24, 2026. However, the project’s exact location was also unspecified, she said.
“These projects are either non-functional, have caused flooding, or are, in some cases, practically non-existent,” the mayor added.
The four flood control projects, however, were not listed on the newly launched “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website, which features flood control projects initiated under the Marcos administration.
Discayas. The authorizing manager and president of Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corp. is businesswoman Sarah Discaya, the former rival of Sotto during the 2025 Pasig mayoral race.
St. Timothy Construction Corp., meanwhile, is reportedly managed by the former marketing director of St. Gerrard General Contractor and Development Corp., which is handled by Sarah’s husband Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II.
Alpha & Omega General Contractor and St. Timothy were awarded over P14 billion in flood control contracts from 2022 to 2025, according to Marcos’ audit report published on the "Sumbong sa Pangulo" website.
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DENR urged to review projects
Treñas said the Iloilo City government will “cooperate fully and provide all information necessary” in the probe into flood control projects of the Marcos Jr. administration.
She stressed how the city has repeatedly experienced severe flooding during torrential rains and relentless storms.
“If there are delays, deficiencies, or any misuse of public funds, the people of Iloilo City have the absolute right to know, and those responsible must be held to account without fear or favor,” she added.
In a separate post on August 12, Treñas urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and independent experts to thoroughly investigate flood control projects that have shown defects and endanger lives.
She stressed that the public deserves transparency about the issues causing harm, including infrastructure on roads that may be disrupting natural water flow in cities.
“It’s time to put an end to this cycle of corruption and neglect!” Treñas said.
“If these projects are proven to be defective, inaccurate, and harmful, I call on the national government to demolish them. Destroy it because it only worsens the flood, damage to property and people, and affects the lives of Ilonggos,” she said in a mix of English and Ilonggo.
After Marcos called for an immediate audit of flood control projects, Malacañang revealed on Monday that just 15 contractors — fewer than 1% of all — were awarded 20% of the P545 billion budget covering nearly 10,000 projects during the first half of his term.
These contracts total about P109 billion, concentrated in just a small group of firms.
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Editor's Note: The article has been updated to reflect the latest data under the "Sumbong sa Pangulo" website, monitoring the flood control projects of the Marcos Jr. administration.
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