00:00Cases against former Representative Zaldico related to the anomalous flood control project is now at the Sandigan Bayan after it was filed by the Office of the Ombudsman.
00:09Let's get into the details with Isaiah Mirafuentes.
00:15Carrying stacks of documents, several officials from the Office of the Ombudsman arrived earlier at the Sandigan Bayan.
00:22The documents contained the case they are filing against former Congressman Elizalde Co.
00:27After two months of investigation, gathering evidence, sifting through testimonies of witnesses, the Office of the Ombudsman announces today that we have issued a resolution finding probable cause to file criminal charges in connection with serious irregularities.
00:45Criminal informations have now been filed in the Sandigan Bayan against former Congressman Elizalde Co.
00:53This is related to the almost P290 million worth of substandard flood control project in Aujan Oriental Mindoro.
01:01The contractor is San Jose Construction Company owned by Cos Brother and Zaldico is tagged as the beneficial owner.
01:08They discovered that the steel sheet piles used for the dike were grossly below the required standards.
01:18Their measurements showed an exposed pile of 2.5 meters, another 0.6 meter embedded in the pile cap,
01:28for a total of only 3 meters far from the 12 meter specification stated in the detailed engineering design.
01:37Apart from Co., several officials of the DPWH Region 4B are also charged and personnel of San Jose Construction Company.
01:46This is the first case elevated to the court in connection with the flood control project anomaly.
01:52If found guilty, the individuals may face non-bailable offenses.
01:56They may face charges of malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents,
02:02violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Processes Act,
02:05and violation of RA-19 for receiving unwarranted financial or pecuniary benefits.
02:12I say Amir Fuentes from the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
