Malacañang expects more individuals involved in flood control project irregularities to be jailed in the New Year. Critics have slammed the administration for failing to fulfill President Marcos' promise to imprison the so-called big fish before Christmas. The investigation continues, implicating contractors like Sarah and Curlee Discaya.
On December 27, 2025, Malacañang assured that more individuals linked to irregularities in flood control projects would be imprisoned in the New Year. Presidential Communications Secretary Dave Gomez stated that the detention of contractor couple Sarah and Curlee Discaya represents only an 'early phase' of a broader accountability drive. 'The flood control investigation does not end on Dec. 25. It’s only been a little over four months,' Gomez said.
Sarah Discaya was arrested on December 18 over a P96-million ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental and is currently held in Lapu-Lapu City Jail. Curlee Discaya is detained at the Senate premises after being cited for contempt by the Blue Ribbon committee for inconsistent testimony. Gomez compared it to the Napoles probe, which took nearly a year before convictions, noting the Discayas' alleged ill-gotten wealth is '10 times over' previous scandals.
In November, President Marcos promised that those involved in corruption would have 'no merry Christmas,' stating, 'Before Christmas, many of those named here… their case will be over... They will be jailed.' However, the Makabayan bloc labeled it the 'biggest Christmas scam,' accusing the administration of 'empty rhetoric' to 'pacify public outrage' while protecting the powerful.
Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson urged the Palace to avoid statements that could be seen as a 'cover-up' regarding the 'Cabral files' from the late DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral. Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste claimed the files show budget insertions for kickbacks involving Cabinet officials beyond DPWH. 'Instead of pursuing an honest-to-goodness inter-agency investigation... may be interpreted as a euphemism for ‘cover-up,’' Lacson warned. Undersecretary Claire Castro dismissed them as having 'no probative value' and mere 'hearsay,' questioning their origin from DPWH.
House Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio called on Leviste to release all Cabral files on budget distributions for 2023-2026 at once to avoid suspicions of self-serving motives. Malacañang affirmed that President Marcos would spare no one in the probes.
