The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday said that aside from former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co, four of the 16 individuals facing arrest over the P289.5-million flood-control project mess in Oriental Mindoro have already left the country before warrants and hold-departure orders were issued by the Sandiganbayan.
According to BI travel records, Co departed for Singapore on August 6; DPWH Planning and Design Division OIC-Chief Montrexis Tamayo flew to Qatar on November 15; Sunwest Inc. president and board chair Aderma Angelie Alcazar left for Australia on October 2; and Sunwest treasurer Cesar Buenaventura traveled to the United Arab Emirates on the same day.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said none of the four had pending arrest warrants or immigration lookout bulletin orders (ILBOs) at the time of their departure. She said Co, who exited on a tourist visa, had already overstayed his declared return date.
“Our law enforcement agencies can transmit the warrant to Interpol for assistance in locating individuals abroad. If they fail to return despite warrants, they may be considered fugitives,” Sandoval said.
Three Sandiganbayan divisions—the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh—have issued arrest warrants and hold-departure orders against Co and 15 others for graft and malversation charges linked to the allegedly substandard river dike project.
The accused include top officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Mimaropa and executives of project contractor Sunwest Inc.
Among those ordered arrested are DPWH Regional Director Gerald Pacanan; Assistant Regional Directors Gene Ryan Altea and Ruben delos Santos Jr.; division chiefs Dominic Serrano, Juliet Calvo, and Dennis Abagon; and several engineers and BAC members. Sunwest corporate officials Consuelo Dayto Aldon, Noel Yap Cao, and Anthony Ngo are also covered by the warrants.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said all 16 names have been encoded in the bureau’s centralized derogatory database to ensure immediate interception should any of them attempt to leave or re-enter the country.
“Once intercepted, our officers are under strict instruction to coordinate with the Philippine National Police for the lawful execution of the warrants,” he said.
Sandoval added that authorities are also studying the cancellation of passports for suspects who remain abroad. “If a passport is canceled, the individual becomes an undocumented alien in the host country, which may prompt authorities there to repatriate them,” she explained.
