Show-cause order issued vs Co, Guteza

January 20, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate may order the arrest of fugitive former congressman Zaldy Co and controversial witness Orly Guteza if they fail to comply with a Senate show-cause order issued after the pair ignored subpoenas from the Blue Ribbon committee in its ongoing probe on corruption in flood control projects.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, who chairs the Blue Ribbon committee, said he had to issue a show-cause order against Co and Guteza as they were the only subpoenaed individuals who neither appeared nor sent legal representatives to committee hearings.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III raised the possibility of issuing warrants of arrest against the two, but Lacson said a show-cause order would do for the time being.

“Show-cause first. If not satisfactory, then cite them for contempt and eventually issue warrant of arrest,” Lacson said.

The committee resumed yesterday its months-long probe on the flood control scandal, with former education undersecretary Trygve Olaivar and former special envoy to China Maynard Ngu in attendance.

Olaivar is accused of receiving kickbacks from flood control projects while Ngu was allegedly the bagman of Sen. Francis Escudero.

Former public works chief Manuel Bonoan also attended the hearing yesterday, a day after arriving from the United States, and was questioned about the “bloated” number of ghost projects and the incorrect grid coordinates he reportedly submitted to Malacañang.

Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Leviste also attended the hearing upon the committee’s invitation to “compare notes” on the so-called Cabral files.

Also present were former Bulacan district engineers Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza; former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo and contractor Curlee Discaya.

During the hearing, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said it was preparing to take into its custody potential state witnesses currently held by the Senate, as the latter moves to decongest its detention facilities.

Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon told the committee that the DOJ is contemplating a request to take custody of Alcantara, now enjoying a state witness status.

Sotto welcomed the move, noting that the Senate is also considering enforcing subpoenas against resource persons who have failed to appear before the panel.

“If we just thresh out the operational matters with the committee, yes, we will gladly take custody of the state witnesses,” DOJ officer-in-charge Fredderick Vida said during the hearing.

Lacson urged other detained individuals to fully cooperate, saying the possibility of inclusion in the Witness Protection Program remains open if they provide complete and truthful testimony, saying partial cooperation would not be sufficient.