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Contractor couple Cezarah ‘Sarah’ and Pacifico ‘Curlee’ Discaya arrived at the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) office in Taguig City to serve as resource persons in the commission’s hearing on Tuesday, September 30.

The media tried to get Sarah’s and Curlee’s statements regarding their cases, but they declined to comment.

The Discayas are currently under investigation for alleged involvement in anomalies in flood control projects. /cb/abc

Former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co’s decision to resign from his post would not shield him and his organization from his alleged wrongdoing, Cebu 5th District Rep. Duke Frasco said on Tuesday.

‘The resignation of Cong. Zaldy Co should not, and cannot, erase his crimes, nor absolve Ako Bicol Partylist, the vehicle through which these abuses were committed,’ Frasco said in a statement.

Co, in a surprise move, stepped down on Monday, meeting the deadline set by House of Representatives Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III for the former lawmaker to return home.

‘Resignation spared Co from sanction by the House, but it also exposed the weakness of our system. While Co walks away, his conduit, Ako Bicol Partylist, keeps its seat, benefits, and power as if nothing happened. This is not accountability. This is impunity,’ he added.

But Co’s fellow Ako Bicol party-list member, Rep. Alfredo Garbin, said that Frasco’s statements appear to rest on ‘conjecture rather than fact’ – noting that no case has been filed nor any judgment has been rendered regarding allegations against Co.

Garbin also highlighted Frasco’s choice of words – mentioning the word ‘impunity’ – while noting that the 1987 Constitution provides the presumption of innocence.

‘The press release of Rep. Frasco alleging ‘impunity’ on the part of former Representative Zaldy Co and the Ako Bicol Party-list rests on conjecture rather than fact. At the outset, it must be emphasized that these are mere allegations – no criminal or administrative case has been filed, much less adjudicated, before any competent court or tribunal,’ Garbin said in a separate statement.

‘The constitutional presumption of innocence under Article III, Section 14(2) of the 1987 Constitution is not a privilege selectively applied but a fundamental right extended to all citizens, including members of Congress. To prejudge Zaldy Co in the absence of due process would be a dangerous erosion of the rule of law itself,’

According to Garbin, a lawyer by profession, he agrees with Frasco’s views – that resignation does absolve Co of any possible accountability – but the move was made out of delicadeza, to step away from office to ensure non-interference in any probe that may be conducted.

‘The suggestion that resignation constitutes an escape from liability betrays a misunderstanding of both law and practice. A public official’s resignation neither extinguishes liability nor immunizes one from investigation. As jurisprudence repeatedly affirms, as in the case of Santiago v. Bautista (G.R. No. 195835, 2013), resignation is a personal act of relinquishment of office but does not divest courts, the Ombudsman, or other investigative bodies of jurisdiction over acts committed while in office,’ Garbin said.

‘In other words, resignation cannot and does not absolve Zaldy Co of accountability, if any is proven. On the contrary, it demonstrates delicadeza – an ethical choice to step aside so as not to influence ongoing inquiries while focusing on his legal defense and medical treatment,’ he added.

Business and party-lists

Frasco also touched on allegations that there was conflict of interest when Co, as a former lawmaker and former head of the House committee on appropriations, allocated funds to infrastructure projects that were eventually picked up by a company supposedly connected to him.

‘Under Section 141 (h) of the House Rules, ‘A Member shall not acquire or receive any personal pecuniary interest in any specific business enterprise which will be directly and particularly favored or benefited by any law or resolution authored by the Member that is approved or adopted by Congress during the Member’s term’,’ Frasco said.

‘Yet as a shareholder of construction firms that secured contracts funded by the GAA, and as co-conspirator in the insertion of billions for projects that benefited himself and his cohorts, Co clearly breached this rule, among other existing laws,’ he added.

According to Frasco, any accountability demanded from Co must extend to the party-list involved, as it may set a dangerous precedent.

‘Accountability must extend beyond individuals. If consequences are limited only to a nominee, Congress sets a dangerous precedent: that members can violate rules, resign to avoid expulsion, and leave their party untouched. To protect the integrity of our institutions, Ako Bicol Partylist must face investigation, sanction, and, if warranted, disqualification,’ he noted.

But Garbin said that the party-list law defines organizations as ‘separate juridical entities from their nominees.’

‘Equally important is the attempt to conflate Zaldy Co’s personal accountability with that of Ako Bicol Party-list. The Party-list System Act clearly defines party-list organizations as separate juridical entities from their nominees. To punish Ako Bicol for unproven allegations against one nominee would not only contravene the principle of separate juridical personality but disenfranchise the millions of Bicolanos who vested their trust in Ako Bicol,’ he said.

‘Morally, Zaldy Co’s act of resignation is not an abandonment, but a sacrifice. It demonstrates respect for institutional integrity, allowing investigations to proceed free of any suspicion of undue influence. Practically, it ensures that legislative work continues unhampered, as Ako Bicol remains steadfast in serving its constituents. To portray this as ‘impunity’ is to twist an act of humility into an act of arrogance,’ he added.

Co is currently facing a myriad of issues regarding the 2025 national budget and the infrastructure project scandal.

At the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, contractor-couple Pacifico and Sarah Discaya named several lawmakers, including Co who allegedly asked for and received kickbacks from infrastructure projects, after their firms were able to bag government contracts.

Last Tuesday, Henry Alcantara and Brice Hernandez, former officials of the ent of Public Works and Highways – Bulacan First District Engineering Office tagged Co and other lawmakers as allegedly involved in the kickbacks scheme for infrastructure projects.

Aside from this, Co is also criticized as Sunwest Corporation which he co-founded eventually figured as one of the top 15 contractors for flood control projects.

Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Rep. Leila M. de Lima on Tuesday called on the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) and President Marcos Jr. to expedite the selection of the next Ombudsman in light of the ongoing investigations into anomalous government projects.

In a statement, De Lima said the state watchdog post must not be left vacant for too long ‘so that cases can continue to progress, those who should be held accountable can be held accountable, and the people can achieve justice.’

Her statement comes after the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI)’s recommended to the Office of the Ombudsman to file criminal and administrative charges against former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co and 17 others over an anomalous flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.

The project was implemented by Sunwest Inc., a company Co founded.

The Ombudsman is also expected to play a greater role in the broader anti-corruption crackdown ordered by President Marcos Jr.

However, as of Sept. 30, Mr. Marcos has yet to appoint an Ombudsman, which has remained pending since former Ombudsman Samuel Martires retired on July 27, 2025.

As of last week, the JBC said it would hold its deliberations on the vacancy ‘in the coming weeks’ instead of last Sept. 19 to give Sen. Francis Pangilinan, the new chair of the Senate committee on justice, time to review the applications.

The current acting ombudsman is Dante Vargas, who so far has ordered the suspension of 16 Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials over their alleged involvement in anomalous flood control projects.

Still, ‘given the extent of the collusion and the number of legislators and government officials involved in the anomalous flood control projects, there is a need for a regular Ombudsman who can truly focus on and respond to the complaints that land in their office,’ De Lima said.

The former justice secretary added that it was all the more imperative for an Ombudsman to oversee the proceedings as the office was expected to receive additional complaints as the ICI investigation progressed.

She expressed hopes that the future Ombudsman appointee would also address the unnecessary and unfortunate dismissal of cases due to inordinate delays in fulfilling its mandate under the Constitution. ‘As the country’s Tanodbayan, the Ombudsman should champion the government’s anti-corruption efforts. It must be swift, serious, and fair in filing solid cases against erring public officials who plunder the nation’s wealth,’ she said.

Lip Sync Assassin walked away as one of the big winners at the recently concluded CinePride Film Festival in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Precious Paula Nicole, star of the short film, bagged the award for Best Lead Performance, while Jon Galvez was honored as Best Director. Nicole also got a Special Citation for Best Performance at the Sinag Maynila 2025 Awards Night. The win was celebrated as they returned to The Philippines through a press conference that featured a special screening of Lip Sync Assassin.

Nicole and Galvez shared the victory with the local film, LGBTQIA+, and drag communities. Nicole said that the role was something meant for her as she got the call from Galvez two weeks after she manifested the opportunity. Galvez, on the other hand, always thought that Nicole would be perfect for the movie while he was writing the script. ‘Complex nga ‘yung character ni Sampaguita pero kailangan puno siya ng puso kasi willing siyang ibigay ang lahat lahat para sa pamilya. And meron din akong nakitang parang magic kay Precious even when I was following her career in Drag Race na ‘yun eh all heart lagi ang binibigay niya.’

Lip Sync Assassin follows the story of Sampaguita, a drag queen who also works as a contract assassin so she can earn extra for her daughter and ill mother. Galvez tags it as a breadwinner story which partly resonates with his previous experience as an OFW based in Singapore. The movie also features Star Magic’s Argel Saycon plus drag queen favorite Hana Beshie. At the press conference, Nicole reflected on how she never says no to a challenge and hopes her recent milestone as an actress encourages more people to dream big. ‘Mahirap siya talaga, ako nga po after 20 years nangyari sa akin yung pag-arte, pero hindi ko binitawan.’ Lip Sync Assassin was screened at select movie houses all throughout the metro until the end of September thanks to Sinag Malaya 2025.

CinePride Film Festival was held last September 11-14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. It serves as a global celebration of LGBTQIA+ stories through film debuts, workshops, and panel discussions. This year’s films featured international drag legends BenDelaCreme, Monét X Change, and Jinkx Monsoon.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) said it may look into banks after a congressional inquiry flagged large cash transactions linked to a flood control scandal, although the watchdog declined to say whether such an investigation was already underway.

The state-run Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank), meanwhile, ‘strongly refuted’ any insinuations of irregularity in its handling of government contractor accounts, stressing that all questioned transactions had complied with mandated procedures.

AMLC Executive Director Matthew David told the Inquirer that under its supervisory and investigative mandates, the council also examines potential administrative and criminal liabilities of covered entities, including banks and their employees, for compliance lapses.

Still, David stopped short of saying whether the AMLC had opened a specific probe, citing confidentiality rules.

Sanctions

But he said the AMLC may check whether banks and other covered entities were meeting their legal duties, including vetting clients under ‘know your customer’ rules, keeping proper records, and filing required transaction and suspicious activity reports on time.

‘Noncompliance with these obligations may result in enforcement actions under the Enforcement Action Guidelines, and administrative sanctions under the Rules of Procedure in Administrative Cases,’ David said, adding that failure to submit required reports may also give rise to liability under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

‘The AMLC remains committed to upholding the integrity of the financial system and ensuring that all covered entities adhere to their legal obligations in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing,’ he continued.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has launched its probe into potential vulnerabilities of concerned banks in relation to transactions involving flood control projects. The review, it said, was aimed at determining the scope of any lapses and holding lenders accountable where shortcomings are found.

The BSP opened the inquiry following explosive testimony in congressional hearings, where witnesses described large cash withdrawals and deliveries to lawmakers allegedly tied to irregular flood control projects.

Photos of stacks of banknotes submitted as evidence of kickbacks to legislators intensified public anger, sparking mass protests on Sept. 21. The AMLC has issued more than 700 freeze orders covering bank accounts, insurance policies and other assets of individuals linked to the alleged scheme.

At a Senate hearing on Sept. 25, senators questioned contractor Sally Santos, who admitted withdrawing P457 million in cash in just two days from a LandBank branch in Bulacan. Santos, owner of Syms Construction Trading, is among several contractors implicated in the flood control scandal.

Lawmakers also pressed Ma. Lilibeth Lim, the branch manager who authorized the withdrawal. Lim reasoned out that since the account was tied to a government agency, it was not treated as suspicious. Under existing laws, transactions involving P500,000 or more in cash must be reported to the AMLC as a covered transaction.

In a statement on Monday, LandBank said the funds were legitimate government allocations under the annual national budget law, not private or unverified sources. Therefore, it argued that the bank, ‘or any other financial institution, has no legal authority to block or question duly appropriated government disbursements.’

‘LandBank reiterates that its role is to faithfully execute banking transactions in accordance with law and regulatory standards, and not to assume investigatory functions outside its legal mandate,’ it added.

Last Sept. 28, the nation should have remembered the birthday of Wenceslao ‘Bintao’ Vinzons. But few did. Many young Filipinos have never even heard his name. Among the older generations, his story has faded into the footnotes of World War II. And yet, in a time when the country is engulfed by scandal after scandal-when public office is reduced to the pursuit of family wealth, dynasty, and kickbacks-Vinzons’ life and death strike with the force of an indictment.

We are living through a crisis of corruption and impunity. The images seared into the public imagination are obscene: bundles of thousand-peso bills stacked on tables, waiting to be delivered as kickbacks; words like tara and obligasyon now part of the common tongue, as if plunder were as ordinary as breathing. Politicians shrug off exposés, tighten their seat belts, and ride out the storm. They know anger can be loud but fleeting. What is left is a public demoralized, persuaded that the Philippine government is little more than a criminal syndicate in barong tagalog.

This is why Vinzons matters now. Born in 1910 in Indan, Camarines Norte, he became the UP student council chair and editor of the Philippine Collegian. He was a visionary, farseeing, brilliant advocate for a pan-Malay union. He founded Young Philippines, a political party of law students who insisted that the youth was not a waiting room but a vanguard. At 24, he was a delegate to the 1935 Constitutional Convention. At 27, he was governor. At 29, a congressman. But his true test came not in the halls of lawmaking but in the forests of Bicol.

When Japan invaded, Vinzons organized 2,800 guerrillas in Camarines Norte. His command was one of the earliest, fiercest resistance groups in the country. For the Japanese, neutralizing Vinzons was essential. When he was captured in 1942, they offered him collaboration: help pacify the resistance in exchange for his life. He refused.

But the refusal did not cost him alone. The Japanese retaliated by executing six members of his family-his father Gabino, his wife Liwayway, his sister, and two of his children. An unborn child was lost with Liwayway. Vinzons knew this was likely. He chose the nation anyway.

This is the staggering reversal. In the Philippines, the family has always rivaled the state for the loyalty of its citizens. Politicians rationalize dynasties as the necessary scaffolding of competitiveness for public office. But Vinzons turned this proposition on its head. He chose to sacrifice his family so that the nation-and the families of 2,800 guerrillas under his command-might live.

Measured against that, how obscene is today’s corruption! We have a President who, in his State of the Nation Address, could only scold the corrupt with the rebuke: ‘Mahiya naman kayo.’ But shame without civic grounding means little. What we lack is the civic virtue that once allowed a 31-year-old congressman to die rather than betray his people. The civic duty that animated Vinzons has all but dissipated.

Corruption begins in the mind. It thrives in the rationalization that ‘everyone does it,’ that loyalty to family excuses betrayal of the nation. Every time we sing ‘ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo,’ we should remember that Vinzons lived and died those words-and that his sacrifice should shame our officials who equate patriotism with lining the pockets of their kin.

The tragedy is not only that Vinzons is forgotten. It is that his sacrifice has not become the beacon it should be. In a time when young people flood the streets in anger at corruption, his story should guide them. He embodied what it means to be a Filipino youth activist: principled, fearless, incorruptible. He was, in every sense, the father of student activism, the proof that youth is not preparation but power.

If our institutions are to regain legitimacy, they must show the courage Vinzons showed-not in death, but in action. Arrest and prosecute the guilty, no matter their family name. Make the national budget a paragon of transparency. Empower civil society and youth organizations to act as watchdogs, armed with technology and civic discipline.

Otherwise, public rage will flare and fade, as it always has. But if we take Vinzons seriously-if we allow his forgotten name to rebuke us-we may yet recover the civic virtue to save this democracy. He died at 31, but he has not finished speaking to the Filipino spirit and soul.