FACT-CHECK: YouTube channel falsely claims senators connected to flood control mess were arrested

CLAIM: Senators were arrested after being linked to anomalous flood control projects

RATING: FALSE

A YouTube channel with over 433,000 subscribers falsely claimed that senators implicated in the government’s controversial flood control program had been arrested. 

Flagged Content: A YouTube channel is spreading disinformation about the personalities being connected to the headline-grabbing flood control fiasco. 

• One of its videos falsely claimed that Sen. Bong Go got arrested after controversial Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) contractor Sarah Discaya’s testimony during a Senate hearing. The caption reads, “KAKAPASOK LANG! BONG GO SIBAK AT KULONG NA,SARAH DISCAYA TUMESTIGO NA.”
• A similar content, about Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, was also uploaded, claiming that the senator got arrested after another top flood contractor, Lawrence Lubiano, testified against him. The caption reads, “KAKAPASOK LANG! ESCUDERO SIBAK AT KULONG, LAWRENCE LUBIANO TUMESTIGO LABAN SA SENADOR.”
• The similarity of the contents is seen not only in its structure and tone of the captions, but also in their deliberate mention of high-profile names to provoke public outrage and curiosity. 

Our Debunk: The uploaded video regarding Go’s alleged arrest was lifted from the Sept. 1 public hearing of the Senate Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon).

• In the same livestream, Go denied having any connection to his father’s construction firm.
• Curlee and Sarah Discaya named several public officials who allegedly invited them to join rigged DPWH public tenders in exchange for bribes. However, the Discaya couple never mentioned Go in their testimony. 
• On Sept. 8, Go was present during the Senate’s plenary session.
• Although Go stepped down as the chairperson of the Committee on Health, there have been no official reports regarding his arrest. 

The video used to falsely claim Escudero’s arrest was from the Joint Committee on Public Accounts, Public Works and Highways, and Good Government and Public Accountability live stream.

• In that same live stream, Lubiano testified that he donated P30 million to the former Senate president’s 2022 campaign. 
• Escudero was also present during the same Sept. 8 plenary session where he was ousted as Senate president. He administered the oath of office to Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, the new Senate president.
• There have been no official reports regarding Escudero’s alleged arrest.

Rewind: The current shakeup in the Senate was caused by the ongoing issue regarding the anomalies in the government’s flood control projects and the involvement of various government officials.

• The floods that devastated numerous places in Luzon due to Typhoon “Crising” exposed the corruption and mismanagement of public funds related to flood control projects. 
• On July 28, 2025, during his Fourth State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos ordered an investigation into the alleged corruption in the DPWH flood control projects.
• On Sept. 4, 2025, Sen. Panfilo Lacson called for a full overhaul of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) with the aim of ending corruption in flood control projects.
• On Aug. 11, Marcos revealed that 20% of flood control projects amounting to P100 billion went to just 15 contractors.
• Soon enough, Lubiano claimed that he donated P30 million to Escudero’s Senate campaign. 
• Just recently, Brice Hernandez, a former DPWH district assistant engineer, linked Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva to corruption in flood control projects.

Why we’re fact-checking this: The YouTube channel has 434,000 subscribers.

• The video on Go’s supposed arrest is currently at 27,000 views.
• The video regarding Escudero’s alleged arrest is now at 67,000 views.

Spot The Fake: These videos are a good example of news-cycle disinformation. This annoying subset of disinformation mimics real-time news “updates” on an active story — claiming arrests, releases, case dismissals, or even deaths that haven’t happened.

READ: False breaking updates are warping the news cycle

Amid the numerous scandals involving government officials, identifying the fake is crucial. Make time to check if the source of the content is reliable. 

• Verify the facts by cross-checking other credible sources.
• Be cautious of sensational headlines and thumbnails that are designed to provoke strong reactions from media consumers.  Daniela Angelyn Solis

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