MANILA, Philippines — The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) said it believes that the court’s issuance of arrest warrants against former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co and several others in relation to infrastructure anomalies is a step toward attaining justice for the people.
In a statement on Saturday, ICI executive director Brian Keith Hosaka said the Sandiganbayan’s move was “very important in the trial of the accused in the flood control scandal.”
“This marks the start of court proceedings to finally deliver justice to the public,” Hosaka said in Filipino.
“This can also be the legal basis for the return of those involved to the country so they can face the court,” he added, speaking Filipino.
On Friday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that the Sandiganbayan had issued arrest warrants against Co and 17 others in connection with the criminal cases filed by the Office of the Ombudsman against them on Tuesday.
The charges — two counts of graft and one count of malversation through falsification — stem from an alleged anomalous P289.5-million road dike project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
The Ombudsman’s filing of cases followed the recommendation of the ICI, which is mandated to investigate infrastructure projects across the country over the last 10 years. /jpv