First criminal charges filed vs Zaldy Co, DPWH execs over Oriental Mindoro projects
MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman filed graft and corruption charges against former lawmaker Zaldy Co and several officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) over alleged irregularities in the flood control projects in Oriental Mindoro.
The charges were filed by Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano on Tuesday, November 18, at the Sandiganbayan.
This is the first case the government filed with regard to the flood control projects in the anti-graft court.
Aside from Co and the DPWH officials, among the respondents to the complaint are the Board of Directors of Sunwest Corporation, a construction company owned by Co.
The complaints filed against the respondents are the following:
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Malversation of Public Funds through Falsification of Public Documents under the Revised Penal Code.
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Violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019).
For Co, the Ombudsman also filed complaints alleging violation of Section 3(h) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for allegedly receiving unwarranted financial or pecuniary benefits.
According to Clavano, the Ombudsman recommended no bail for the malversation charge, as the amount malversed exceeds the legal threshold of P8.8 million.
The subject of the complaint is the flood control project for the construction of a Road Dike along the Mag-Asawang Tubig River in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, which carried a budget of P289.5 million.
The facility was inspected by DPWH Secretary Vince Hizon and Oriental Mindoro Governor Bonz Dolor on September 9, where they discovered that the steel sheet piles used for the dike were "grossly below the required standards."
"These findings point to a scheme that resulted in unwarranted benefits, technical falsification, and the misuse of public funds," Clavano said in a press briefing.
Clavano added that this is the first case referred by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to be filed before the anti-graft court.
Other cases are still in the preliminary investigation stage, according to Clavano.
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