(UPDATE) THE Malabon City government has filed a complaint against a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) official and a company owned by couple Pacifico “Curlee” and Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” Discaya over an alleged unauthorized demolition and construction of a building on a local government-owned property. The city government through its Engineering Department lodged the complaint before the City Prosecutor’s Office against engineer Aristotle Ramos, former DPWH Malabon-Navotas Engineering Office district engineer; and Alpha and Omega General Contractor and Development Corp. owned by the Discayas. City administrator Alexander Rosete confirmed the filing of charges against Ramos and Sarah Discaya in violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, for allegedly “acting with evident bad faith and causing undue injury to the city government.” Rosete said Sarah was present when a preliminary investigation was conducted on Tuesday at the prosecutor’s office. According to the city engineering office, the complaint was the result of an unauthorized demolition and construction of a barangay multipurpose building on a property owned by the local government located along Sanciangco Street, Barangay Catmon. The “unlawful” demolition and construction of a new building in the area was said to be part of a project of former Malabon congresswoman Jaye Lacson-Noel. The respondents allegedly began demolition and construction activities without securing the required permits or any authorization from the city government. “This constitutes a violation of Section 301 of Presidential Decree 1096, or the National Building Code of the Philippines, which requires that no person, firm or government agency may undertake construction or demolition without the appropriate permits issued by the City Engineering Department,” a local official said. The city government emphasized that national government agencies and their contractors are not exempt from local regulatory requirements. “The authority to issue building and demolition permits is vested in the local government to ensure public safety, compliance with zoning ordinances and adherence to approved development plans,” the official said. The complaint states that Ramos together with Discaya, representing Alpha and Omega, proceeded with the project without coordination, consultation or approval from the city government. This action allegedly disregarded the Local Government Code, which requires national government agencies to coordinate with and consult local government units in the implementation of projects within their jurisdiction, the city government said. Rosete said the city government stood firm on its zero-tolerance policy for illegal construction and abuse of authority as it reiterated its commitment to protect public property and uphold accountability regardless of the parties involved. Cases moved Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has transferred two criminal complaints involving Discaya and several DPWH engineers from Davao Occidental to the Regional Trial Court of Lapu-Lapu City, as authorities move closer to enforcing arrest warrants over the alleged P96.5-million ghost flood control projects in Mindanao. Supreme Court spokesman Camille Ting said the transfer was made in line with judicial guidelines requiring corruption-related cases arising from infrastructure projects to be forwarded to the nearest designated anti-graft court within the appropriate judicial region. “The determination of the nearest judicial region shall be made by the presiding or executive judge concerned,” Ting said in a statement, explaining that the move ensures compliance with judicial assignment protocols and specialized anti-graft rules. The cases stemmed from complaints filed by the Office of the Ombudsman earlier this month, charging Discaya and several DPWH engineers over an allegedly nonexistent flood control project in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental. The Ombudsman has accused the respondents of graft and malversation for the supposed release of public funds for a project that was never implemented. The Supreme Court has previously designated specific regional trial courts to act as anti-graft courts to expedite the resolution of corruption cases involving infrastructure projects. Discaya, a private contractor implicated in the project, remains under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after surrendering on Dec. 10, days after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said an arrest warrant was expected to be issued against her in connection with anomalous flood control projects. Despite her surrender, the NBI clarified that Discaya is not technically under arrest, as no warrant has yet been released by the court. Earlier this week, Discaya was escorted by NBI agents to the Malabon City Prosecutor’s Office to attend a preliminary investigation over a separate complaint filed by the city government, reportedly involving alleged permit violations related to demolition and construction on a city-owned property. After the hearing, she was returned to NBI custody.