AMLC issues first freeze order; 135 bank accounts and 27 insurance policies frozen

The Anti-Money Laundering Council issued the first of what would become a series of freeze orders in the flood control investigation on September 16, 2025, designated Freeze Order #1. The order covered 135 bank accounts and 27 insurance policies tied to contractors and former DPWH personnel implicated by Senate Blue Ribbon Committee testimony. Named in the order were Curlee and Sarah Discaya, principals of St. Timothy Construction and Alpha and Omega General Contractors and Development Corporation, and at least seven other related firms; Roma Angeline Rimando; and former DPWH Bulacan 1st District Engineer Henry Alcantara along with associates Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza. This was the opening move in what became a cascading set of AMLC actions. Subsequent freeze orders expanded the asset coverage to thousands of bank accounts, dozens of insurance policies, motor vehicles, real estate, e-wallets, virtual currencies, and ultimately aircraft. By April 2026 the aggregate frozen assets approached P24.7 billion across 6,692 bank accounts and other instruments. The Discayas were detained at the Lapu-Lapu City detention facility; contractors Wawao Builders (Mark Allan Arevalo), SYMS Construction (Sally Nicolas Santos), and others were subjected to parallel investigations and freeze orders in subsequent months.