Billions Flow, But So Do Floods: Discaya Firms Bag Iloilo Contracts

Almost PHP 2 billion has been pumped into Iloilo City’s flood control projects in just three years, but for residents still wading through waist-deep waters, the spending has done little to bring real relief.

In 2025, more than PHP 1 billion in flood control funds were released under Iloilo City Rep. Julienne Baronda. The year before, the figure stood at PHP 737.3 million, compared to PHP 71.1 million in 2023.

The lion’s share of these projects went to construction firms tied to the Discaya family. Records show that in 2025 alone, St. Timothy, St. Gerard and Alpha & Omega secured PHP 526.8 million in contracts. In 2024, they won another PHP 374.6 million.

But instead of a comprehensive drainage master plan, much of the funding has gone into embankments and seawalls — fixes critics dismiss as “band-aids.” Some projects have even worsened flooding, such as an embankment built inside the Iloilo River that triggered overflows and submerged seven Oton barangays for days.

Transparency is another problem. Multimillion-peso projects flagged in complaints, like the Bo. Obrero seawall, remain missing from the Palace’s online anomaly list, fueling suspicion over accountability.

Baronda has yet to address why the Discaya firms repeatedly corner massive contracts or why Iloilo’s long-delayed drainage plan remains sidelined.

For now, the numbers add up to one uncomfortable truth: In Iloilo, billions have flowed — but so has the floodwater. (Advertorial)