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January 12, 2026 | 2:35pm
MANILA, Philippines — Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said he will appear at former Rep. Elizaldy Co's trial before the Sandiganbayan on January 20 to testify over the alleged anomalous P289.5 million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.
Dizon shared this at a press conference on Monday, January 12, saying that he will also likely testify in multiple cases in the coming months, as he is one of those who filed complaints with the Office of the Ombudsman against erring Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials and flood control contractors.
The Office of the Ombudsman filed graft and malversation charges before the anti-graft court on Nov. 18, 2025, against Co, representatives of Sunwest Inc., and 17 former DPWH officials from Region 4B (Mimaropa) after receiving complaints from DPWH and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).
Sunwest Inc., which Co co-founded, is the contractor responsible for the construction of the road dike project along Mag-Asawang Tubig River in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
The same firm had been named one of the top flood control contractors in the country. From 2016 to 2025, the company secured P86 billion in infrastructure contracts, P32.9 billion of which were in Mimaropa, according to DPWH data.
When the Ombudsman filed the charges before the Sandiganbayan, Co was specifically accused of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act for allegedly receiving unwarranted financial benefits from the project.
Although the former lawmaker divested from Sunwest Inc. in 2020, government agencies continue to recognize him as a "beneficial owner" of the company. His specific liability, however, remains under investigation.
What we know about the Mindoro project
According to the ICI's report, the government suffered P63.9 million in damages due to the "grossly substandard" materials used in the flood control project.
The ICI also recommended filing charges against the DPWH officials and Sunwest representatives after discovering that the government paid over four times the material cost of P20.6 million, resulting in potential losses of P92.9 million.
The charged DPWH officials reportedly certified that the project met specifications and that materials had been verified and tested, which the ICI said suggests possible collusion with Sunwest Inc.
On top of potentially falsifying documents, the commission discovered that supporting files for the project’s progress billings were missing, including the contractor’s notarized affidavit, computation sheets, material quality test certificates and tax forms.
Progress photos submitted for payments of P35 million to P40 million were also insufficient to justify the disbursements, as some photos were reused for multiple billings, a discrepancy the ICI also flagged.
What went before
Co’s whereabouts, however, remain unknown since he left the country in July 2025. The Sandiganbayan has declared him a fugitive, with arrest warrants and departure orders issued.
Nine of his co-accused, all former DPWH officials, also asked the anti-graft court last week for bail in the ongoing malversation case. The trial is expected to resume this week, with officials from the DPWH, ICI and Land Bank set to take the stand.
