Discaya-linked firms bag bulk of Guimaras flood projects in 2023

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Construction companies tied to the Discaya family dominated Guimaras’ flood control projects in 2023, cornering five out of seven contracts worth nearly PHP 295 million.

Guimaras had seven listed flood structures in the Sumbong sa Pangulo portal with a combined value of PHP 401.57 million.

Five projects were awarded to Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corp. and St. Matthew General Contractor & Development Corp.

Alpha & Omega secured four projects totaling PHP 222 million, three in Nueva Valencia and one in Jordan.

Notably, three contracts in Nueva Valencia carried nearly identical costs of over PHP 58 million each, with three projects starting on Feb. 17, 2023, and the fourth on March 17, 2023.

St. Matthew secured one major project, the River Control Dike with Esplanade (Phase III) in Barangay Poblacion, Jordan, worth PHP 72.37 million, which also began on Feb. 17, 2023.

Other construction firms managed to secure only one project each.

The remaining two projects went to other companies.

Iloilo City-based S.T. Salcedo Construction Corp. secured the Barangay Rizal, Jordan, project worth PHP 48.99 million, while F. Gurrea Construction Inc. bagged the Cabalagnan River flood mitigation structure valued at PHP 57.89 million.

Two Discaya-linked projects were undertaken in partnership with S.T. Salcedo.

These included the flood control system in Barangay Canhawan, Nueva Valencia, with Alpha & Omega, and the River Control Dike with Esplanade in Barangay Poblacion, Jordan, with St. Matthew.

Such joint ventures, or JVs, are a common feature in Philippine infrastructure projects.

JVs are typically formed to pool resources, expertise and capital to jointly undertake specific infrastructure projects.

They often occur without formal registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission, solely to participate in government bidding.

To legally join public infrastructure bids, joint ventures must submit a valid Joint Venture Agreement outlining roles, responsibilities and resource contributions of each partner.

From 2024 onward, Department of Public Works and Highways records show that Discaya firms were no longer awarded flood control projects in Guimaras.