Sandigan issues arrest warrants vs Co, 15 others

ICI, DPWH recommend graft, plunder cases vs Romualdez, Co

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has released arrest warrants for resigned Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co and 17 others in connection with an anomalous flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.

The issuance of the arrest warrants was announced by President Marcos himself in a video posted on his Facebook page yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) recommended to the Office of the Ombudsman the filing of plunder, graft and direct bribery charges against former speaker Martin Romualdez and Co.

In a briefer issued by the Sandiganbayan after Marcos’ announcement, it said that apart from the arrest warrants, its Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Divisions also issued hold-departure orders (HDOs) against the accused to prevent them from leaving the country.

Among the accused, only Co was confirmed to be out of the country as of yesterday. His exact location remains unknown after he left the country last August.

Apart from Co, ordered arrested and prevented from leaving the country were DPWH Region IV-B director Gerald Pacanan, assistant regional director Gene Ryan Altea; assistant regional director Ruben Santos Jr., Construction Division chief Dominic Serrano, project engineer III Felisardo Casuno, materials engineer Timojen Sacar, Planning and Design Division OIC-chief Montrexis Tamayo, Maintenance Division chief Juliet Calvo, Quality Assurance and Hydrology Division OIC-chief Dennis Abagon, Accountant IV Lerma Cayco, president and chairperson of Sunwest board of directors Aderma Angelie Alcazar, Sunwest treasurer Cesar Buenaventura and Sunwest board members Consuelo Aldon, Noel Cao and Anthony Ngo.

The cases stemmed from the alleged substandard flood control project implemented by DPWH Region IV-B in Mag-Asawang Tubig River in Naujan town in Oriental Mindoro. The project, worth P289.5 million, was awarded to Sunwest Inc., supposedly co-owned by Co.

In a statement, the Office of the Ombudsman welcomed the anti-graft court’s swift action on the cases, which the ombudsman’s prosecution panel filed last Tuesday.

President Marcos: Arrest them now

In a video message, President Marcos ordered authorities to immediately enforce the arrest warrants against Co and others.

“Let’s not delay this any longer. Arrest them now. Make sure it is done quickly and correctly. The wheels of justice are turning,” Marcos said.

“This is not speculation. This is not just a tale. This is solid evidence,” he added.

The President also gave assurance that no special treatment will be given to the accused.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it can only cancel Co’s passport following a court order.

“As of this time, the department has not received such an order,” DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona said.

Additional charges

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon and ICI Commissioner Rogelio Singson, who led the transmittal of the two agencies’ joint referral report along with over a dozen boxes of documentary exhibits, said their recommendation to the ombudsman was based on sworn affidavits of several witnesses who testified during the Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearings on flood control scam, along with established facts and several records.

“We would not have included the recommended charges if we did not find any basis,” Dizon said.

Based on Singson’s estimates, over 1,000 people are criminally liable in the flood control mess.

“Just think about it – one ghost project will involve easily 15 individuals to be accused,” he said.

Dizon said the report covers around P100 billion in infrastructure contracts, mostly about flood control, awarded to Sunwest Inc. and Hi Tone Construction and Development Corp. from 2016 to 2025. Both contractor firms are linked to Co.

Dizon also cited the close working relationship between Romualdez and Co, as former speaker and chairman of the House committee on appropriations, respectively, from 2022 up to their resignation when the issue on flood control anomalies started hitting the headlines.

Additionally, 64 ground troops from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police (PNP) will turn over documents related to ghost projects over the weekend or next week, Singson said.

Meanwhile, Marcos, in a separate video, affirmed his trust in the ombudsman.

“I am confident that the ombudsman simply follows evidence and wherever the evidence leads, that is where our investigation will go,” he said.

Opposition lawmakers welcomed the news, with ML party-list Rep. Leila de Lima commending Marcos for making good on his promise to investigate everyone involved in the scandal, and Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña calling it an “important step toward accountability.”

Tracker teams

Police tracker teams have started a manhunt for Co and his 17 co-accused following the issuance of the arrest warrants, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said yesterday.

“As we speak, our teams are going after all those involved, all their homes, all their known addresses,” he said over radio dzBB.

Remulla said police will first look for Co at his known home addresses and offices.

As part of their protocols, police personnel will review surveillance video footage from Co’s offices to determine if he entered the country in the last six months.

“Otherwise, the court will have to apply for a red notice and cancellation of passport,” Remulla said.

The most recent information authorities have on Co is that he last stayed in Japan, based on information from the International Criminal Police Organization or Interpol, which issued a blue notice alert for the former congressman.

A person with a blue notice alert is under constant tracking by the Interpol but not the subject of an arrest.

The challenge for the government, according to Remulla, is if Co would seek refuge in Russia or China, where Philippine diplomatic ties do not extend to police matters.

Two other countries that could be safe havens for Co are Malaysia and Portugal, with which the Philippines has no extradition treaty.

But the Philippines can seek help from the Interpol, which has 196 members committed to cooperation.

Based on raw intelligence reports they have received, Remulla said Co has a Portuguese passport.

Separately, the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) has issued subpoenas to several people in connection with the flood control mess.

“Other concerned persons may be summoned during the course of the ongoing investigation,” CIDG director Maj. Gen. Robert Alexander Morico II told reporters in a Viber message, without disclosing the names of summoned individuals.

The PNP vowed to strictly observe due process in enforcing the warrants of arrest. — Helen Flores, Emmanuel Tupas, Michael Punongbayan, EJ Macababbad, Jose Rodel Clapano