Zaldy among accused in first flood mess cases to reach graft court
Just days after accusing President Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez of making questionable insertions into the 2025 national budget, resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co became one of the first individuals to face graft and malversation charges in the Sandiganbayan in connection with anomalous flood control projects.
The Office of the Ombudsman, led by Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano, filed in the antigraft court on Tuesday the first batch of cases against Co and several officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Sunwest Inc. over “serious irregularities” in a P289.4-million road dike project in Oriental Mindoro province.
In a press conference after the filing, Clavano said the cases stemmed from the first referral report submitted by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) involving a project implemented by the DPWH regional office in Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan or Region IV-B) through contractor Sunwest, a company linked to Co and his family. The project covers the construction of a road dike along Mag-Asawang Tubig River in Naujan town.
“After two months of investigation, gathering evidence, and sifting through testimonies of witnesses, the Office of the Ombudsman announces today that we have issued a resolution finding probable cause to file criminal charges in connection with serious irregularities uncovered in a major flood control project in Oriental Mindoro,” Clavano said.
Named as respondents are several officials and engineers of the DPWH Mimaropa as well as members of Sunwest’s board of directors.
The DPWH and Sunwest officials were each charged with one count of malversation and one count of graft. Co was charged with one count of malversation and two counts of graft.
Clavano said the second graft charge against Co was for “receiving unwarranted financial or pecuniary benefits” from the project.
No bail
The Ombudsman’s panel of prosecutors recommended no bail in the malversation charge since it involved an amount exceeding P8.8 million, he said.
“This is the first case that was referred by ICI and, as a result, it is the first case to be filed in court. I would like to emphasize that this is the first of many cases that will be filed in court. There are several cases in the preliminary investigation stage and more in the fact-finding stage,” he said.
In its 32-page report submitted to the Ombudsman on Sept. 29, the ICI recommended criminal and administrative charges, including graft and malversation of public funds, against Co and 17 others over the Naujan project.
According to the ICI, P246 million, or 85 percent of the total allotment for the project, has been disbursed.
Also cited were records linking Sunwest to Co. The former lawmaker, however, earlier said he had divested himself of interests in Sunwest back in 2019.
Clavano said the project, worth P289,498,230.06, was found having serious structural deficiencies. An inspection conducted by Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon and Oriental Mindoro Gov. Humerlito Dolor on Sept. 9 showed that the steel sheet piles used were substandard or did not follow the design, he said.
“Their measurements showed an exposed pile length of 2.5 meters, another 0.6 meter embedded in the pile cap, for a total of only about 3 meters—far from the 12-meter specification stated in the Detailed Engineering Design,” Clavano said.
“This led to several critical observations that the measured sheet pile did not meet the 12-meter specification; the material was substandard; and it is highly possible that all other sheet piles used in the project were also below specification,” he added.
The findings, Clavano said, pointed to a scheme to falsify technical data and misuse public funds.
The Ombudsman also asked the Sandiganbayan to immediately have the complaints raffled off to one of its divisions for the prompt issuance of arrest warrants and hold-departure orders.
Co revelations
Co, who left the country in July reportedly to seek medical treatment in the United States, last week released a video message, presented in three parts, claiming that the President and Romualdez ordered him to insert P100 billion for public works projects in the 2025 national budget.
The alleged insertion was ordered when the budget bill had reached the bicameral conference committee and Co was still the chair of the House appropriations panel.
Mr. Marcos last week said he would not “dignify” Co’s statement with a response, while Romualdez, who stepped down as Speaker on Sept. 17, denied his involvement, stressing his “conscience remains clear.” —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
