(UPDATE) GOVERNMENT contractor Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya was temporarily released from the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday to attend a scheduled hearing before the Office of the City Prosecutor (OCP) of Malabon, even as authorities continued to await the issuance of an arrest warrant in connection with alleged anomalous flood control projects. The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Discaya sought permission from the NBI to appear at the Malabon hearing, which is part of the preliminary investigation into a complaint filed by the Malabon City government. Justice spokesman Polo Martinez confirmed that Discaya personally requested a temporary release to attend the proceedings and to secure documents related to the case, noting that the hearing was set at 1 p.m. NBI spokesman Palmer Mallari had said Discaya formalized the request through a letter addressed to NBI Acting Director Angelito Magno, asking that she be allowed to attend the hearing and be accompanied by NBI personnel. Mallari added that Discaya committed to returning immediately to the NBI premises after the hearing. Magno clarified that while Discaya remains under the bureau’s custody, her stay is voluntary and temporary, as no arrest warrant has yet been issued by the court. In the absence of a warrant, he said, the NBI has no legal basis to detain her. “Since there is still no warrant of arrest, we cannot legally hold her,” Magno said, adding that Discaya may leave NBI custody at any time under existing legal procedures. The NBI confirmed that Discaya had voluntarily surrendered to the bureau and remained there while awaiting possible court action related to an alleged ghost flood control project in Davao Occidental. Magno said once a warrant is issued, it will be served on Discaya immediately, after which standard booking procedures will be conducted in Manila before she is brought to Davao Occidental to face the charges. Pressed why Discaya chose to place herself under NBI custody, Magno said the move was arranged through her legal counsel, though the specific reasons had yet to be publicly explained. Discaya surrendered to the NBI after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. publicly stated that an arrest warrant was expected to be issued against her over alleged irregularities in flood control projects. Her camp has maintained that her surrender was a “strategic legal move” and not an admission of wrongdoing. The Office of the Ombudsman has filed malversation and corruption charges against Discaya and several others over a nearly P100-million flood control project in Davao Occidental that authorities allege was non-existent.