Albay cops serve arrest warrants vs Zaldy Co, flood control suspects
Police units in Albay formally served multiple arrest warrants on Saturday, Nov. 22, targeting individuals allegedly involved in irregularities surrounding a flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.
The warrants stemmed from a Sandiganbayan order issued after the Office of the Ombudsman filed two counts of graft and one count of malversation through falsification against former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, 10 officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and five company officials of Sunwest Construction and Development Corp., the project’s contractor.
In Daraga, Albay, the Daraga Municipal Police Station (MPS) served the arrest warrant on DPWH Bureau of Maintenance Director Gene Ryan Alaurin Altea in his residence in Barangay Tagas.
Altea was not home when police arrived.
His wife and mother informed police that he returned from a trip to Masbate in October but is now believed to be staying in Manila.
The Santo Domingo MPS served warrants at theàa Sunwest office in Barangay Lidong, while the Legazpi City Police Station attempted to serve similar warrants in another Sunwest office in Barangay Bogtong.
In a separate announcement, the Guinobatan MPS reported serving an arrest warrant on Engr. Noel Yap Cao, a member of the Sunwest Board of Directors, in his residence in Barangay Ilawod, Guinobatan, Albay.
However, none of the police stations —Guinobatan, Santo Domingo, or Legazpi City — confirmed if the individuals sought were successfully taken into custody.
The cases remain pending before the Sandiganbayan as authorities continue efforts to locate the respondents.