Acting Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. cautioned that charges await anyone caught “coddling” the eight suspects in the Oriental Mindoro flood control anomaly case who remain at large.
“We understand the close ties among relatives and friends, but accountability and the rule of law must always prevail. Let us allow justice to take its course, and part of it is to let them confront the cases filed against them,” Nartatez said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Police units implementing the arrest warrants were already instructed to prepare and file criminal charges against those who would be confirmed to have coddled the accused in the graft and malversation cases,” he added.
On Monday, authorities announced that they had taken into custody eight of the 16 individuals accused of graft and malversation in connection with a P289.5-million road dike project in Oriental Mindoro.
According to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, of the eight accused still at large, four were known to be abroad, including former House of Representatives appropriations chairperson and resigned Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co.
“The PNP will continue its operations until all individuals sought by the courts are accounted for, reaffirming the organization’s commitment to upholding the law without fear or favor,” Nartatez said.
Among the eight initially arrested was Department of Public Works and Highways Mimaropa (DPWH 4B) official Engr. Dennis Abagon.
On Sunday, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) caught Abagon in a house in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City.
Two of his helpers were also arrested for allegedly assisting a fugitive.
Remulla and the NBI earlier said the house in which Abagon was caught was owned by the vice mayor of Bansud, Oriental Mindoro, without naming the supposed homeowner.
In an interview on DZMM on Monday, Bansud Vice Mayor Alma Mirano said the Quezon City home Abagon was caught in was indeed hers, and the DPWH 4B official was merely renting it.
She denied harboring Abagon, maintaining that they seldom interacted and that she did not even know whether the DPWH 4B official was involved in the scandal.
