Senate denies holiday leave requests of Discaya, former DPWH officials

THE Senate has denied the holiday furlough requests of four individuals detained on its premises in connection with the flood control scandal, a senator said on Tuesday.

In a statement, Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said that he recommended the denial of furlough for contractor Pacifico F. Discaya II, and former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers Brice D. Hernandez, Henry C. Alcantara, and Jaypee D. Mendoza, amid flight risk concerns.

The recommendation was then approved by Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, with Mr. Lacson citing announcements of warrants against the detainees by the President and the Ombudsman.

“I recommended to the Senate President that their request for Christmas furlough be denied mainly for security reasons, owing to the repeated media statements from Ombudsman Jesus Crispin C. Remulla and President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. that arrest warrants against them will be issued before Christmas,” the senator, who heads the Blue Ribbon Committee, said.

“The risk of escape becomes greater — not to mention that it makes no sense to grant such requests for Christmas leave if indeed warrants are coming out by then,” Mr. Lacson added.

Mr. Discaya was cited in contempt last Sept. 18, after he was found lying about the whereabouts of his wife during a Blue Ribbon Committee hearing investigating anomalous flood control projects.

Mr. Hernandez was detained in the Senate for allegedly lying that he owned and used a fake driver’s license when going to casinos, while Mr. Alcantara and Mr. Mendoza were both cited in contempt on Sept. 18 for denying any knowledge of “ghost” flood control projects in Bulacan.

Mr. Lacson said that the Senate can only allow the detainees to hear mass and for their families to visit them during the holidays. They won’t be allowed to leave the premises.

“That’s the most that we can allow given the circumstances,” he added.

The senator also called on the Office of the Ombudsman to fulfill its commitment to file charges against those found responsible in the multibillion-peso scandal.

“I hope the Office of the Ombudsman can make good on their publicly stated timelines to file the information before the Sandiganbayan and other venues, assuming that probable cause is clearly established against those responsible for the plunder of public funds,” Mr. Lacson said.

He added that this move would “strike fear” among those who believe that they can get away with stealing government funds.

“Especially now that the 2026 budget measure remains under public scrutiny in spite of our efforts to cleanse the same of ‘pork’ and self-aggrandizing ‘insertions’ possibly orchestrated by some incorrigible members of Congress,” he said.

President Marcos earlier vowed to jail all those implicated in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal before Christmas. — Adrian H. Halili