The National Bureau of Investigation has arrested the owners of Draco Builders over allegations they defrauded clients of more than P200 million in government and private construction funds in Mindanao.
Agents took Nicole Martinez Syjuco and her husband into custody at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on Aug. 6, 2025 following their arrival from Hong Kong.
The arrest stemmed from a warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 20 in Davao Occidental.
Authorities said the couple collected payments covering as much as 95% of three construction contracts but failed to complete the projects. They also allegedly withheld an advance payment for another project that never broke ground.
Draco Builders, once positioned as a rising contractor in Mindanao, had been awarded multimillion-peso infrastructure projects in recent years.
But clients later accused the firm of abandoning worksites despite receiving substantial disbursements, leaving roads and facilities unfinished.
“This arrest shows that no one is above the law,” NBI Director Jaime Santiago said in a statement.
Large-scale estafa, under Philippine law, is a non-bailable offense when it involves sums exceeding P22,000.
If convicted, the Syjucos could face decades in prison.
