Eight Accused in P289-Million Flood Control Project Corruption Case Face Sandiganbayan

Eight of the sixteen individuals charged with graft and malversation related to the P289-million substandard flood control project in Oriental Mindoro appeared before the Sandiganbayan on Monday. They underwent booking procedures, which included fingerprinting, and were issued commitment orders specifying their detention pending case resolution.

The respondents who appeared before the anti-graft court included:

• Gerald Pacanan, DPWH regional director
• Gene Ryan Altea, DPWH assistant regional director
• Ruben D.S. Santos, DPWH assistant regional director
• Dominic Serrano, DPWH construction division chief and Bids and Awards Committee chair
• Juliet Calvo, DPWH maintenance division chief
• Dennis Abagon, DPWH OIC-chief of Quality Assurance and Hydrology Division and BAC regular member
• Felisardo Casuno, DPWH project engineer III

Their appearance followed the issuance of arrest warrants and a hold departure order (HDO) by the Sandiganbayan three days prior against all accused individuals.

Meanwhile, several other respondents have yet to surrender to authorities. These include former Ako Bicol party-list Representative Zaldy Co, once House appropriations panel chairperson; Montrexis Tamayo, DPWH OIC-chief of Planning and Design Division; Lerma Cayco, DPWH accountant IV; Timojen Sacar, DPWH materials engineer; and five officials from Sunwest Construction—President Aderman Alcazar, Treasurer Cesar Buenaventura, Consuelo Aldon, Engineer Noel Yap Cao, and Anthony Ngo, all board members.

The Office of the Ombudsman filed the initial criminal charges on November 18, marking the first legal actions related to the problematic flood control project.

This case highlights ongoing efforts to address corruption and substandard public infrastructure projects within government agencies.