COA flags Discaya firm over P300-M Ilocos Norte road, bridge works

MANILA, Philippines – State auditors have raised concerns about two Duterte-era road and bridge projects in Ilocos Norte, traced to the controversial Discaya couple-owned St. Gerrard Construction, citing gaps in monitoring and inconsistencies in official records.

A Commission on Audit (COA) performance report released on January 29, found that the projects, awarded under the Department of Tourism’s Tourism Road Infrastructure Program (TRIP) and valued at over P300 million combined, were recorded as completed in April 2019, during the Duterte administration.

However, inspections conducted on July 11 and July 18, 2024, revealed both projects undertaken in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s home province to be in substandard condition.

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State auditors noted that St. Gerrard, owned by controversial couple Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya and Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” Discaya, appeared on contract documents as part of a joint venture with Viking Construction and Supplies. 

The Discayas and their firms, including St. Gerrard, have previously been associated with highly questionable flood control projects across the country.

The first project, a P220.86-million concrete road covered by Contract ID 17A00046, was intended to connect Pancian to Pagudpud-Adams, including a bridge leading to waterfalls in Adams, Ilocos Norte. 

The COA said the project showed concrete scaling and surface deterioration. It was reported as completed on April 30, 2019. Auditors, however, inspected it on July 11, 2024, and found it had not been turned over.

The second, a P101.27-million bridge and road project, under Contract IC 17A00040, on the Lanao-San Isidro Road leading to Bolo River Dam and Darna Falls in Dumalneg, was described in the COA report as “currently unpassable by most vehicles (except motorcycles).”

The second project, also listed as completed on April 30, 2019, was found unusable during a COA inspection on July 18, 2024.

Auditors flagged inconsistencies in documentation. They said that while St. Gerrard was listed on the contracts, the Discaya firm did not appear in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Ilocos Norte 1st District Engineering Office Project and Contract Management Application (PCMA). 

“It was observed that postings in PCMA were either inaccurate or incomplete due to human error, as evidenced by the non-reporting of actual causes of delays and other important information in the PCMA. It appears that there was absence of check and balance on entries made in the PCMA,” read part of the COA report.

The COA said the DOT did not establish a dedicated platform to monitor TRIP projects and relied on tourist arrival data, which auditors found “not fully reliable.” – Rappler.com