MANILA, Philippines — Protesters stormed the offices of St. Gerrard Construction of Curlee and Sarah Discaya in Pasig City on Thursday to demand accountability for flood control projects that “wasted billions in public funds while leaving millions of Filipinos underwater.”

In a video shown on its Facebook page on Thursday, the People Surge National Alliance of Disaster Survivors, along with environmental groups, showed their disgust by throwing mud at the company’s gate., This news data comes from:http://qdw-cyu-qcs-tifa.771bg.com

Protesters storm Discaya office in Pasig to demand accountability for 'ghost flood control projects'

The group cited a report from the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) that the Discaya family controlled nine construction companies, including St. Gerrard Construction, St. Timothy Construction, and Alpha and Omega Construction.

“Together, these firms bagged 421 government projects worth P31 billion, including flood control projects tagged as overpricedp, oorly designed, and in some cases ghost projects. Alpha and Omega alone ranked second among the 15 contractors awarded ₱100 billion worth of flood control projects over the past three years,” the statement read.

Protesters storm Discaya office in Pasig to demand accountability for 'ghost flood control projects'

“Yet despite these massive deals, flooding continues to worsen. Between 2022 and 2025, the government allocated nearly P680.2 billion for flood control projects, but recent storms Crising, Dante, Emong, and the enhanced monsoon still caused damage estimated at ₱6.12 billion. Instead of protecting communities, these projects have enriched politicians and favored contractors like the Discayas while millions of Filipinos remain submerged in disaster and neglect,” they added.

The group also said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who claimed to be an anti-corruption crusader, approved controversial flood control projects under the 2026 national budget.

“This systemic plunder is set to continue under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), which allocates another P250.8 billion for flood control projects. President Marcos Jr., who postures as an anti-corruption crusader, has himself approved many of these projects while denying disaster victims urgent aid and compensation. His government prioritizes debt servicing, militarization, reclamation, mining, and other destructive ventures—all at the expense of climate resilience and people’s welfare,” they said.

People Surge also said that every peso that the Discayas pocketed translated to another Filipino family submerged in floodwaters and called on the public to join protest actions, leading up to the nationwide protests commemorating Martial Law on September 21.

“Every peso pocketed by the Discayas and corrupt politicians translates to another family submerged in floodwaters, another farmer’s livelihood destroyed, another community displaced... The government itself has become a disaster—turning public funds meant for protection and resilience into cash cows for plunder,” they said.