Graft court orders arrest of Co, 15 others in flood mess
The Philippine National Police said Friday it was set to enforce arrest warrants issued against former Ako Bicol representative Zaldy Co and 15 others over alleged anomalies in government flood control projects.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has also deployed tracker teams to monitor Co, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said.
He disclosed that the International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, had issued a blue notice—intended to locate a person internationally but does not authorize arrest—since two months ago to track Co’s location after President Marcos raised concerns over flood control anomalies.
Mr. Marcos himself disclosed the issuance of the warrants in a video posted on social media on Friday.
Co, a former House of Representatives appropriations committee chair, is among several figures implicated in what authorities have described as a widening anticorruption probe into infrastructure spending.
PNP acting chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the police force was coordinating with the antigraft court and other agencies to carry out the arrests lawfully and in an orderly manner, emphasizing that those named will be afforded due process.
“This is part of ongoing government efforts to ensure transparency and accountability,” Nartatez said in a statement.
He did not disclose when or where operations to serve the warrants would begin.
Whereabouts uncertain
In an interview with dzBB, Remulla said the DILG and PNP had positioned teams at the suspects’ known addresses in anticipation of the Sandiganbayan’s release of the warrants on Friday. He noted that tracker teams have been operational since Tuesday.
“As we speak, our teams are visiting all their homes, all their known addresses,” Remulla said.
He said Co’s whereabouts remain uncertain. Authorities were reviewing surveillance footage from his offices and checking whether he has been in the Philippines in the past few months.
“We don’t know where he is, but he could enter the country, so we will check all his houses to see if he is really here. We will review video surveillance of his offices to see if he has been here for the last five to six months. Otherwise, the court will have to apply for a red notice and cancel his passport,” Remulla said.
Co’s last known location a few days ago was reportedly Japan, though authorities said he has since left.
Complications
Remulla cited potential complications in apprehending Co if he is in countries with no extradition treaty with the Philippines, such as Russia, China, Malaysia or Portugal.
“According to raw intelligence, it seems he has a Portuguese passport through the Golden Visa program. We don’t know when he applied, but we know he has it,” Remulla said.
He added that a red notice could follow if warranted to facilitate an international arrest.
“If he acquired the passport before the commission of the crime, Portugal will protect him. But if it was after the commission, Portugal will turn him over,” he said.
No special treatment
Remulla said the alleged offenses are likely nonbailable under Philippine law because of the P8.8-million malversation threshold.
In his video message, Mr. Marcos said the others who had warrants were from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Sunwest Corp., which was cofounded by Co and his brother Christopher.
“So to our law enforcement agencies, let’s not delay this any longer. Arrest them now. Make sure this is carried out quickly and correctly. Justice is now in motion,” the President said.
He showed the list of individuals with arrest warrants issued but the names were neither visible nor did he enumerate them.
The warrants, issued by the Sandiganbayan, were based on evidence gathered by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) and the DPWH.
“And the next step will be straightforward … Our authorities, of course, will now enforce these arrest warrants. They will be arrested, brought before the court, and held accountable under the law,” Mr. Marcos said.
He emphasized that no special treatment will be given, adding that he will not stop until all those responsible are held liable.
The Sandiganbayan also on Friday junked the motions by seven of Co’s fellow respondents seeking to halt the issuance of their arrest warrants.
Last Tuesday, the first set of charges against Co and 17 others over the alleged anomalous P289.5-million road dike project in Oriental Mindoro was raffled off by the antigraft court.
The cases stemmed from the construction of a road dike along the Mag-Asawang Tubig River in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
During a Sept. 9 inspection, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon and Oriental Mindoro Gov. Humerlito Dolor observed that the steel sheet piles used for the dike were “grossly below the required standards.”
As many as 1,200 individuals may be involved in the alleged anomalous flood control projects nationwide, ICI Commissioner Rogelio “Babes” Singson said at a press conference earlier on Friday.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said more charges will be filed against individuals involved in the flood control scandal, gauging at least 14 to 15 more cases before the year ends.
The suspects will be detained at New Quezon City Jail in Payatas, which has 80 unoccupied cells that could accommodate 10 persons each, the DILG said earlier. —WITH REPORTS FROM LUISA CABATO, FAITH ARGOSINO, DEMPSEY REYES AND CHARIE ABARCA
