First Sandiganbayan trial on flood control case begins

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan held its first trial on a flood control-related case on Tuesday.

The 6th Division tried the P289.5 million malversation case against Sunwest Corporation, which also named former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co as one of the respondents.

The case arose from the inspection of Sunwest’s P289,498,230.06 project, which was found to have serious structural deficiencies, according to Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano, who filed the case against Co and several officials last year.

READ: Ombudsman files 1st batch of raps vs Zaldy Co, others before Sandiganbayan

Clavano said that an inspection conducted by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) chief Vince Dizon and Oriental Mindoro Governor Bonz Dolor on Sept. 9, 2025, revealed that the steel sheet piles used for the road dike were far below the required standards.

During the trial, antigraft court prosecutors presented Edylou Tejido, a provincial engineer, as a witness.

Tejido, who was involved in the inspection last year, was cross-examined by the legal counsel of the respondents, which included several DPWH Mimaropa officials and members of the Sunwest Corporation board of directors.

The cross-examination focused on the conduct of the inspection, but Tejido maintained that the activity was carried out in coordination with personnel on the ground.

The trial lasted just over an hour and will resume on Thursday.

Co could not participate in the proceedings, as he had earlier been declared a fugitive from justice by the antigraft court.

A respondent declared a fugitive from justice cannot participate in proceedings or seek any judicial relief unless they surrender voluntarily.

Sunwest is co-founded by Co, who also served as chairperson of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations before resigning as a party-list representative in September last year. /mcm