2 Sunwest officers in flood control fiasco send surrender feelers – PNP

Metro Manila, Philippines – Two of three officers of a contractor linked to the flood control scandal have sent “surrender feelers,” a Philippine National Police (PNP) official said on Monday, Dec. 1.

PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief PMgen Robert Morico II did not name the source of surrender feelers. The officials on the run are from Sunwest Inc.

“‘Yong tatlo kasing hinahanap na nasa local, although nakita natin na mataas ang posisyon nila sa company na ‘yon, but dummy lang po ‘yon,” Morico said in a briefing.

[Translation: The three wanted people are still in the country, while they have high positions in the company, they are just dummies.]

“Basically they don’t have the money and the capacity to pay for a lawyer,” he said.

Police have yet to arrest Consuelo Aldon, Noel Cao, and Anthony Ngo, members of the board of directors of Sunwest tagged in graft and malversation charges over a substandard P290-million road dike in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. 

Authorities failed to arrest the three in an operation in a Pasay City hotel on Nov. 28.

Morico said relatives of the two executives informed the authorities that they were willing to surrender “in time.”

“There is an arrest warrant, hindi kami makakapag-antay niyan. Kung mauunahan namin sila mahuli, that’s fine… We assure them na ‘yong karapatang pantao nila ay igagalang ng CIDG,” he said.

[Translation: There is an arrest warrant so we cannot just wait. If we get to apprehend them first, that’s fine. We assure them the CIDG will respect their rights.]

DPWH official in Israel

Meanwhile, Morico said that based on CIDG information, the Department of Public Works Highways (DPWH) Mimaropa official also tagged in the Oriental Mindoro project was last seen in Israel.

He did not name the person, adding that they have yet to arrest another official – DPWH Mimaropa materials engineer Timojen Sacar. 

“We have an effort kasi may mga police attaché kami doon [because we have police attachés there],” he said.

Fugitive former lawmaker Zaldy Co, believed to be the beneficial owner of Sunwest, has yet to face charges in the country. 

Authorities also said Aderma Angelie Alcazar, Sunwest Inc. president and board chairman, and Cesar Buenaventura, Sunwest Inc. treasurer, were last seen in New Zealand and New York, respectively.

The 16 people were among the first to be issued arrest warrants in relation to the flood control corruption scandal.

Eight have pleaded not guilty in the Sandiganbayan.