Philstar
Wanted: Fearless ombudsman
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has filed criminal and administrative charges against former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co and 17 others over an anomalous flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.
The ICI, headed by retired Supreme Court associate justice Andres Reyes Jr., submitted its first interim report to the Office of the Ombudsman last Monday.
The charges include violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents, and violations of the Government Procurement Reform Act.
The co-accused include DPWH district engineers and the private contractor of the project.
ICI investigator and "special adviser" Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong resigned after Malacañang spokesperson Claire Castro questioned his impartiality, and was replaced by retired police chief Rodolfo Azurin.
Topics in this story
Explore more stories about these topics.
🤖
This story was generated by AI to help you understand the key points. For more detailed coverage, please see the news articles from trusted media outlets below.
News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has recommended filing charges against Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials over alleged irregularities in a P289.5 million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.
Read more →
Malacañang stated that former Ako Bicol party-list Representative Zaldy Co will appear guilty if he fails to address the allegations of corruption against him regarding billions of pesos in anomalous flood control projects.
Read more →