Coming soon: Arrest of flood scam ‘big fish’
MANILA, Philippines — Expect the “big fish” in the multibillion-peso flood control corruption scandal – including senators and congressmen – to fall into the government dragnet and get locked up in five weeks, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said yesterday.
“Big fish are coming soon. We should expect the Discayas, senators and congressmen in the next five weeks. There will be no special treatment. They will be treated like everyone else,” Remulla said at a briefing with Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) officials at the New Quezon City Jail where six of eight public works officials charged for involvement in flood control anomalies are now detained.
Remulla said some of the suspects or accused still at large are abroad, including in Qatar and the United States. He said they have until tomorrow to surrender to the nearest Philippine embassy.
“We have copies of their passports. We can find them wherever they go,” he said.
He noted that the search for alleged mastermind and former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co has been difficult because the former lawmaker holds two passports.
“Go home. You need to answer to the law,” the DILG chief said, adding that tracker teams confirmed Co’s recent movements in Europe, Asia and the US.
Remulla also disclosed that one suspect was arrested inside the home of a Mindoro vice mayor who, along with household members, may face charges for obstruction of justice.
“Do not help those who continue to hide. If you care for them, you should also care for yourselves,” he said.
Acting Philippine National Police chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. also issued the same warning and ordered the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and other police units implementing the arrest warrants to prepare criminal cases against people found coddling the fugitives.
“We understand the close ties among relatives and friends but accountability and the rule of law must always prevail,” Nartatez said in a statement.
“There’s no need for you to get embroiled here and suffer the consequence,” he said.
No special treatment
BJMP director Ruel Rivera said the detainees will receive the same food, services and privileges as other detainees.
They will be held in one cell and have access to 24-hour in-house medical services. The BJMP food allocation was recently increased from P70 to P100 daily per inmate.
The BJMP allows two to five family members to visit the detainees at designated areas. Visitors may bring cooked food subject to inspection from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Mondays and Fridays.
The New Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory remains at 80 percent capacity, with 14 cells still vacant. Each building can house up to 3,000 inmates.
Detained at the New Quezon City Jail male dormitory in Payatas are Gerald Pacanan, Gene Ryan Altea, Ruben delos Santos Jr., Dominic Serrano, Felisardo Casuno and Dennis Abagon.
One female accused, Lerma Cayco, is being held at the Camp Caringal Female Dormitory while another, Juliet Calvo, was allowed to post bail on a falsification charge and will face trial before the Ombudsman’s Fifth Division.
The accused are facing charges of plunder, indirect bribery and violations of the anti-graft law before the Office of the Ombudsman’s Sixth and Seventh Divisions.
At the Senate, Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro said Co’s passport can’t be cancelled yet in the absence of a court order.
Security guarantee
Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, interpellating on the DFA’s proposed budget for 2026, pressed the DFA on the potential implications of Co’s passport cancellation, citing the scale of the former lawmaker’s corruption allegations.
“Considering the magnitude of Mr. Zaldy Co’s exposé… the magnitude of corruption described in his exposé… is mind-boggling,” Marcoleta said.
He asked what role the DFA would play in ensuring Co’s safety “right from the cancellation of his passport, considering that there will be trillion of reasons why people would like him silenced.”
Sen. Imee Marcos responded that the DFA’s mandate ends at the administrative processing of a court directive.
“As to his safety upon arrival in the Philippines, assuming that he does come back home, I think other authorities such as perhaps the police as well as the DOJ would have to take over,” Marcos added.
Meanwhile, Quezon City Rep. Juan Carlos “Arjo” Atayde and Caloocan City Rep. Dean Asistio, tagged by contractor Curlee Discaya as recipients of kickbacks from flood control projects, appeared before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) yesterday behind closed doors despite the issuance of livestreaming guidelines last week.
In a press statement issued after the meeting, the ICI said Atayde and Asistio belied Discaya’s allegations and were asked to submit some documents. Asistio was given until Nov. 28 to submit the required documents, while the deadline for Atayde was set for Dec. 2.
The ICI said the two had requested for executive session.
“The ICI granted the requests after finding that these had sufficient factual and legal basis, pursuant to the ICI Live Streaming Guidelines, which was published in the Official Gazette on Nov. 22, 2025,” the ICI said.
“The ICI remains committed to conducting its investigation in a manner that upholds the Filipino people’s right to information, ensures due process, adheres to the rule of law and protects the individual rights of its resource persons,” the ICI said.
In an interview with reporters before the meeting, Atayde said that he was appearing before the ICI as a “volunteer,” having even written the commission to fast-track the process of getting a schedule for his appearance.
“I told people I’ll answer at the proper forum and the proper time, and this is it. I also have my affidavit. And I’m ready to answer. I’ll lay my cards on the table, facts lang po,” Atayde said.
“I don’t want to invalidate the feelings of people towards the gravity of the situation if I deny. So I had to gather all the evidence,” he said. — Neil Jayson Servallos, Emmanuel Tupas
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