‘Surrender now.’
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said this to the suspects still at large – including former House of Representatives appropriations committee chairperson and resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co – in the case of an anomalous flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.
In a video posted on his social media on Monday morning, Marcos announced that authorities already have custody of some of the 16 suspects in the case filed before the Sandiganbayan.
‘To all the accused still at large, I advise you to surrender now. Don’t wait to be chased after. It’s better for your situation to surrender now so that you can answer to the allegations against you,’ Marcos stressed.
‘To those who plan on helping them hide, remember that you will also be held accountable somehow,’ he added.
In a joint press conference later on Monday, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) showed mugshots identifying the suspects in custody as:
OIC-Chief, DPWH 4B Quality Assurance and Hydrology Division; Regular Member, Bidding and Awards Committee (now OIC-Chief, Planning and Design Division) Dennis Pelo Abagon
Department of Public Works and Highways Mimaropa (DPWH 4B) Regional Director Gerald A. Pacanan
Assistant Regional Director (now Director of DPWH Bureau of Maintenance) Gene Ryan Alurin Altea
Assistant Regional Director Ruben delos Santos Santos Jr.
Chief, DPWH 4B Construction Division Dominic Gregorio Serrano
Chief, DPWH 4B Maintenance Division Juliet Cabungan Calvo
Project Engineer III Felisardo Sevare Casuno
DPWH 4B Bidding and Awards Committee Account IV Lerma Dotado Cayco
8 remaining suspects
As for Co, authorities only said he was still at large.
DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla previously said the former lawmaker’s last known location was in Japan ‘a few days’ before the issuance of the arrest warrant.
At the press briefing, however, Remulla detailed that three more suspects were known to be abroad:
Sunwest president and board of directors chairperson Aderma Angelie D. Alcazar – Last known location in New Zealand
Sunwest treasurer and board of directors member Cesar X. Buenaventura – Last known location in New York, United States
DPWH 4B OIC-Chief Planning and Design Montrexis T. Tamayo – Last known location in Jordan
‘Save for Zaldy Co, the other members believed to be abroad have made contact with our law enforcement agencies and are expected to show up at the embassy and begin immediate repatriation towards the Philippines,’ Remulla said.
‘They have done so voluntarily, informing us of their whereabouts and we informed them of their right to proceed immediately to the embassy as soon as possible,’ he added.
The other suspects still at large are:
DPWH 4B Material Engineer Timojen Adiong Sacar
Sunwest board of directors member Conseulo Dayto Aldon
Sunwest board of directors member Engr. Noel Yap Cao
Sunwest board of directors member Anthony L. Ngo
Remulla addressed the suspects still at large, ‘Surrender to the nearest authorities, surrender to the nearest police station. For the sake of your families, for the sake of the country, surrender immediately.’
‘No matter where you are in the world, we will find you. If you are at large, we will find you. If you are hiding in the Philippines, we will find you,’ he stressed.