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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Ombudsman Remulla says ex-Rep Zaldy Co, contractor Sunwest first to face court cases on 'anomalous' flood control projects

Ombudsman Remulla says ex-Rep Zaldy Co, contractor Sunwest first to face court cases on 'anomalous' flood control projects

Published Nov 11, 2025 04:27 pm
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Tuesday, Nov. 11, that former Ako Bikol Partylist congressman Zaldy Co, officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Bulacan, and contractor Sunwest, Inc. will be the first to face court cases involving the anomalous flood control projects.
"There are now 15 cases under PI (preliminary investigation), 10 with the Ombudsman and five with the DOJ (Department of Justice). There is already one for resolution in the Office of the Ombudsman, and with the DOJ I would say it would be submitted for resolution very soon also," Remulla said during a press conference held at the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB).
"Once resolved, of course, it means pwede na isampa sa korte (can be filed in court). Kasi nag imbestiga na ang Office of the Ombudsman. Sa aming tingin, mauuna mai-fifile ang kaso ni Zaldy Co at ibang officials ng DPWH Region IV-B at Sunwest (The prosecutors of the Office of the Ombudsman have been investigating. In our opinion, the first cases that will be filed will involve Zaldy Co and other officials from DPWH Region IV-B and Sunwest)," he said.
He said they are planning to file the cases before the Sandiganbayan next week or the week after. Meanwhile, they are still getting a lot of information involving the flood-control cases, and he assured the people that their investigations remain ongoing.
To recall, Co's case was submitted for investigation by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) last September which involved the questionable P289.5 million flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
The ICI flagged the project for being "grossly substandard and not in line with required specifications," with steel sheet piles falling short of the required length indicated in the contract agreement.
The contract was part of the Sustainable Infrastructure Projects Alleviating Gaps (SIPAG) - Flood Mitigation Structures Protecting Major/Strategic Public Buildings/Facilities - Construction of Road Dike along Mag-Asawang Tubig River, Barangay Tagumpay, Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, which has an approved budget of P289,499,999.99.
The contract, which started on March 2, 2024, was reported to be 92.3 percent completed. However, when DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon and Oriental Mindoro Gov. Humerlito A. Dolor conducted an ocular inspection last Sept. 9, 2025, they found that substandard steel sheet piles were used and the length required was not met.
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