DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon is confident that the charges and pieces of evidence against former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co and others involved in the anomalous flood control project in Oriental Mindoro are well-founded.
“For us, the evidence is strong. We are confident that the Sandiganbayan will prove that the project was indeed substandard and that Sunwest, former Congressman Zaldy Co, and the DPWH colluded to build a substandard project to steal the money of our countrymen,” Dizon said in an interview after his testimony before the Sandiganbayan on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.
Co and several former officials of the DPWH-Mimaropa are facing graft charges linked to an anomalous flood control project worth P289 million in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
Dizon also believed that the anti-graft court would give a fair judgment based on substantial evidence presented for the case to stand.
“We are confident in the evidence and we stand by everything we did to get us to this point in this case,” the DPWH Secretary said.
He added the proper process was followed in the investigation of the questionable flood control project, which also went through the Commission on Audit (COA).
At the same time, Dizon said he is expected to appear frequently before the anti-graft court hearings due to similar cases involving flood control projects in Davao Occidental and Bulacan. (PNA)