(UPDATE) RESIGNED congressman Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co, the central figure in the flood control bribery scandal, has sent feelers to the Office of the Ombudsman seeking a “dialogue,” Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said on Wednesday.
Remulla said the outreach was allegedly coursed through priests known to Co, who in turn sought to establish contact with Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla.
“He sent feelers through some of the priests he knew. They asked to connect with us to have a dialogue — not through me, through the Ombudsman,” the local government secretary said in an interview.
However, Remulla stressed that the information had not been independently confirmed and remained informal in nature. “They’ve just reached out. A friend of a friend reached out,” he added.
Co’s reported attempt to initiate communication comes as authorities continue efforts to locate and bring him back to the Philippines. Remulla earlier said Co’s last known location was in Portugal, and the government is exploring diplomatic options, including possible coordination with Portuguese authorities, for his repatriation.
The former lawmaker, who once chaired the House Appropriations Committee, is facing graft and malversation charges before the Sandiganbayan in connection with an allegedly anomalous P289.5-million road dike project in Oriental Mindoro.
Meanwhile, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said he is confident that Co and others involved in the anomalous flood control project in Oriental Mindoro will be convicted because the state has strong evidence.
At the same time, Dizon called on Co, who has been in hiding abroad, to return to the Philippines and face the charges against him.
In his testimony before the Sandiganbayan on Tuesday, Dizon said those involved in the substandard project in Oriental Mindoro will be proven guilty.
He said during his personal inspection of the site, it was evident that the sheet piles that were installed were substandard.
“For us, the evidence is strong. We are confident that the Sandiganbayan will prove that the project is substandard and that Sunwest, former congressman Zaldy Co, and DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) officials conspired to create a substandard project to steal the money of our countrymen,” said Dizon.
“We are confident in the evidence, and we stand by everything we did to get to this point in this case,” he added.
Co and 15 co-accused in the alleged anomalous implementation of a road dike project in Oriental Mindoro are facing charges of malversation through falsification and two counts of graft before the Sandiganbayan.
This was the first case against Co since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. exposed anomalous flood control projects across the country in his State of the Nation Address.
Dizon said he expects to testify at anti-graft court hearings frequently due to similar cases involving flood control projects in Davao Occidental and Bulacan.
“Because I am the complainant in many of these cases, you will see me testifying in many cases in the coming weeks, next month as we continue this process of holding those who should be held accountable,” he added.
The DPWH and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) have also submitted a recommendation to the Office of the Ombudsman for the filing of plunder, graft and direct bribery charges against Co and several other members of the House of Representatives linked to contractors.
Aside from Co, who was forced to resign as representative of Ako Bicol Party-list, also on the list were incumbent CWS Party-list Rep. Edwin Gardiola, Uswag Ilonggo Party-list Rep. James Ang Jr., Pusong Pinoy Party-list Rep. Jernie Jett Nisay, Bulacan Rep. Augustina Pancho, Cagayan Rep. Joseph Lara, Surigao del Norte Rep. Francisco Matugas and Tarlac Rep. Noel Rivera.
Based on the original two-page referral letter submitted to the Ombudsman on Nov. 21, 2025, the ICI also recommended that Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, a cousin of the president, be investigated in his capacity as speaker of the House of Representatives.
Dizon noted that the findings were only preliminary in nature and without prejudice to any additional findings of liability or the possible implication of other persons that may arise in the course of the evaluation and investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman.
Ombudsman Remulla said the evidence provided by DPWH and ICI was of great help in strengthening and accelerating the progress of the case against the congressmen who were also contractors.
Slow progress
But the Department of Justice (DOJ) has reported that only 14 of 421 alleged ghost flood control projects have so far been confirmed as nonexistent, as authorities continue efforts to verify irregularities in DPWH contracts.
DOJ spokesman Assistant Secretary Polo Martinez said the department is coordinating closely with the DPWH to obtain detailed project data and records that could help speed up the verification process.
“Some projects initially tagged as ghost projects were later found to exist, but they were mislocated due to errors in coordinates,” Martinez said, highlighting the challenges investigators face in distinguishing genuinely missing projects from those that simply appeared absent on paper.
He stressed that confirming the status of all 421 projects is critical for ongoing investigations, which aim to hold accountable those allegedly involved in the multibillion-peso flood control anomalies. Martinez noted that some projects originally flagged as ghost projects were later verified in the field, while others still require on-site inspection and careful review of supporting documents.
“The verification process is not just a desk exercise,” he said. “It requires both field inspections and documentary evidence to determine which projects were genuine and which may have been fabricated, inflated or improperly recorded.” Martinez added that the DOJ hopes that full cooperation from the DPWH, including access to accurate records and project details, would help expedite the investigation and ensure that all anomalies are thoroughly accounted for before the end of the current administration.
Authorities continue to monitor progress on the remaining 407 projects, with investigators working to cross-check coordinates, funding allocations and construction records to complete the assessment and pursue accountability for any confirmed irregularities.
Meanwhile, the Senate transferred the custody of former DPWH Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara to the DOJ, after the latter sought to take over his security following his admission as a state witness. At 12:51 p.m. on Tuesday, DOJ personnel arrived at the Senate detention facility to fetch Alcantara, who had been detained there after being cited in contempt by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee during a hearing last year. Wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet, Alcantara was escorted out of the Senate complex under heavy security and immediately loaded into a DOJ vehicle, which promptly left the premises.
The last of the six co-accused of former senator Bong Revilla in the alleged P98.8-million ghost project in Bulacan province has been arrested, Local Government Secretary Remulla told reporters. He identified the last co-accused as Bulacan 1st District engineer Emelita Capistrano Juat.