The Senate intensified its crackdown on deception in its ongoing flood control probe Thursday by citing two key figures in contempt for misleading testimony.
According to lawmakers at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II and former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara undermined the investigation by issuing conflicting and implausible statements.
Both men were ordered detained by the Blue Ribbon panel after senators agreed their explanations were part of a broader attempt to conceal irregularities in the public funded projects.
The committee acted after Discaya claimed that his wife and business partner, Sarah, could not attend the hearing due to a heart condition.
Senate Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, who chairs the panel, read a letter from Sarah stating that she skipped the session because of a prior meeting with her employees.
“You are making a fool of us. You lied!” said Senator Erwin Tulfo.
The inconsistency prompted lawmakers to accuse Discaya of lying and misleading the investigation.
Discaya later added that his wife suffers from diabetes and hypertension and requires maintenance medication.
Unconvinced, senators carried a motion by Senator Raffy Tulfo to cite him in contempt.
“The greed of the people behind this is unbelievable, almost beyond reach. It is layer upon layer of lies, deceit, and theft from the nation,” Tulfo said before he made the motion.
The panel also cited former DPWH Bulacan first district engineer Alcantara in contempt for denying knowledge of alleged ghost projects in his jurisdiction.
Senator Erwin Tulfo, who pushed for the motion, said it was implausible that Alcantara, as head of the district engineering office, would be unaware of fraudulent works under his watch.
Both Discaya and Alcantara will be detained and placed under the custody of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms.
The senators criticized the contractors and officials involved, calling them opportunists who enriched themselves at the public’s expense.
They pointed to overlapping lies, manipulated records, and questionable deals that have cost taxpayers millions of pesos.
The Blue Ribbon Committee vowed to continue investigating the flood control contracts and related corruption cases.
