25/01/2026
A very good summary of events on anti corruption efforts
In July 2025, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a sweeping audit of the government’s multibillion-peso flood control infrastructure program. The probe—triggered by reports of “ghost projects,” collapsed structures, and padded contracts—was a decisive move to restore integrity in public works and protect taxpayer funds.
As the investigation unfolded, it exposed deep-seated corruption networks involving contractors, engineers, and political figures.
The Marcos administration’s stance was clear: no one would be shielded from scrutiny, regardless of rank or affiliation.
Speaker Martin Romualdez played a key role in strengthening congressional oversight, ensuring that parallel legislative inquiries moved forward despite intense political noise.
But as accountability gained momentum, some sectors launched coordinated efforts to discredit the investigation itself—including unverified accusations, fabricated affidavits, and disinformation campaigns targeting both Marcos and Romualdez.
While legitimate dissent is part of democracy, many of these attacks came from individuals or groups later linked to the very corruption the probe had uncovered.
Critics have suggested that these smear campaigns were part of a broader political project: to weaken the current leadership and position allies—including **former President Duterte’s daughter, Sara Duterte—for power consolidation.
Whether motivated by ideology or opportunism, such moves risk derailing a historic accountability effort just as it begins to deliver real consequences.
This timeline presents a fact-checked account of what transpired—who was investigated, who was charged, and how narratives were weaponized in both directions. It reminds us that accountability should not be selective, and that defending institutional reform is not about politics—it’s about protecting public trust.
📅 JULY 2025
Jul 28: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. calls for a full audit of thousands of flood control projects in his SONA, vowing criminal accountability for ghost or substandard works.
📅 AUGUST 2025
Aug 4: Sen. Panfilo Lacson alleges contractors laundered DPWH funds via political “sponsors.” Palace backs full probe.
Aug 11: Marcos confirms that ₱351B flood funds were channeled through a small group of favored contractors.
Aug 13: DPWH launches audit of 9,000+ projects nationwide.
Aug 15: Marcos inspects Bulacan flood barrier—finds it missing despite being listed as “completed.” Contractor blacklisted.
Aug 21: Lavish social media posts of Sarah Discaya, a contractor’s daughter, go viral—highlighting corruption’s personal lifestyle payoff.
Aug 24: Engr. Abelardo Calalo (DPWH Batangas) arrested after offering ₱3.1M to bribe Cong. Leandro Leviste.
Aug 27: Marcos orders lifestyle checks across all DPWH and BIR officials.
Aug 31: DPWH Sec. Manuel Bonoan resigns amid audit pressure. Engr. Emil Sadain appointed OIC.
📅 SEPTEMBER 2025
Sep 1: DPWH demands courtesy resignations from all regional directors and district engineers.
Sep 3: NBI and DOJ raid Discaya compound; seize 13 luxury cars; revoke contractor licenses.
Sep 5: Engr. Henry Alcantara (Bulacan) dismissed after faking a “completed” project.
Sep 8: Whistleblower affidavit names Zaldy Co and Sunwest executives. Senate confirms fraud but notes inconsistencies in dates and bank trails.
Sep 13: First fake “affidavit” against Speaker Martin Romualdez circulates on troll pages—unsigned, unverified, contradicted by ICI documents.
Sep 14–17: Senate hearings expose COA never cleared the fake projects cited in “Romualdez” affidavit.
Sep 19: Sen. Jinggoy Estrada retracts claim linking Romualdez, admits citing a misread report.
Sep 21: Zaldy Co denies involvement, claims he was “just a delivery man.”
Sep 27: Sen. JV Ejercito highlights fake affidavit's mismatched geotags and timelines.
📅 OCTOBER 2025
Oct 3: DPWH confirms ₱68B in suspect projects; contractors cross-linked via shell firms.
Oct 7: Pro-Duterte rally calling for Romualdez resignation flops with only 50 attendees.
Oct 12: ICI identifies 8 contractor syndicates tied to dummy firms and “rotating” engineers.
Oct 18: AI-generated voice clip claiming Romualdez accepted bribes is debunked.
Oct 20: Iloilo “rally” funded by vlogger pages collapses after local residents reject participation.
Oct 23: 6 DPWH officials suspended by Ombudsman: Regions IV-A, VI, XI (names withheld pending court filing).
Oct 31: Sarah Discaya indicted for tax fraud and falsification.
Romualdez responds: “This is what happens when you go after entrenched corruption—lies become their weapon.”
📅 NOVEMBER 2025
Nov 5: House witness recants earlier claim against Romualdez—admits “hearsay only.”
Nov 18: Ombudsman charges Zaldy Co, Sunwest execs, and DPWH Region IV-B Dir. Regino Marquez with plunder.
Nov 21: Sandiganbayan issues arrest warrants for Co, Marquez, and others.
Nov 24: Regino Marquez arrested; Co fails to surrender.
Nov 25: Sen. Imee Marcos, in a speech, attacks BBM: “Addict sa kapangyarihan.” Palace dismisses as “family drama.”
Nov 27: BIR files tax cases vs. 11 contractors (including Arturo Yu, ProAscend, Sta. Monica Infra).
trend exposed as coordinated fake campaign traced to troll farms in Dubai and Cebu.
📅 DECEMBER 2025
Dec 6: Ombudsman indicts Sarah Discaya, Arturo Yu and 3 engineers in Davao Occidental fraud.
Dec 9: Court of Appeals orders asset freezes vs. Co, Discaya family, and contractor networks.
Dec 11: Sarah Discaya surrenders to NBI; detained.
Dec 15: pages circulate 2019 affidavit falsely rebranded as 2025 evidence against Romualdez.
📅 JANUARY 2026
Jan 9: New COA fraud reports confirm 23 more ghost projects.
Jan 11: Sen. Nancy Binay disowns link to contractors flagged in Iloilo.
Jan 17: DOJ confirms criminal cases against 21 new officials.
Jan 19: Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) clears Romualdez: “no link, no payments, no projects endorsed.”
Jan 22: Senate witness walks back story: “Never saw Romualdez receive anything. I only heard chismis.”
Jan 24: Marcos admin issues final statement: “This was an organized criminal scheme. The only people under attack are those cleaning it up.”
Throughout this unfolding crisis, one notable group stood apart: the centrist reformers and “Kakampink” bloc—critical of both Marcos and Duterte at various points—chose not to align with the aggressive destabilization efforts pushed by pro-Duterte factions.
Their silence or caution was not indifference. Many recognized that while this administration is far from perfect, the flood control probe was real, necessary, and yielding results—with arrests made, funds traced, and fake contractors exposed. Collaborating with a destabilization campaign that sought to undermine that progress would have been a betrayal of the very principle of accountability.
Because let’s be clear: the Duterte-aligned actors now leading protests and spreading disinformation have not presented a credible alternative vision of justice.
Instead, their actions suggest a deeper goal: to discredit the investigations, free their arrested allies, and halt pending cases involving high-profile congressmen with ties to Vice President Sara Duterte.
In the end, this is not a fight between factions—it’s a fight between those who fear accountability and those who believe in it, even when it’s politically inconvenient.
And in that fight, silence is sometimes wisdom—but standing on the side of facts, transparency, and justice is what truly matters.
- JLB
