Rep. Elizaldy Co
CORRUPTION and malversation of public funds charges were filed by the Ombudsman on Tuesday against former Ako-Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, multiple officials from the DPWH Region 4B, and directors of Sunwest Corporation.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano told reporters that the charges are in connection with the alleged anomalous P289 million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro. The filing marks the first criminal charges against those allegedly involved in the flood control kickback scheme that President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. first flagged during his fourth State of the Nation Address last July.
Government prosecutors allege that the P289 million non-existent flood control project built by Sunwest Corporation, a firm owned by Co’s immediate family members, is substandard. The project, a road dike along the Mag-Asawang Tubig River in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, was funded under the 2024 national budget of the DPWH.
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) had recommended the filing of graft, malversation, and falsification charges against Co and other DPWH officials, stating that the government lost an estimated P63 million on the project due to substandard materials and misalignment with required specifications.
The filing of charges against Co also comes four days after he alleged that President Marcos Jr. ordered him to insert P100 billion during a bicameral conference committee in late 2024.
