Two former engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have dropped explosive allegations during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing: roughly ₱1 billion in cash was delivered in over 20 suitcases to the penthouse of Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co at the Shangri-La Hotel in Taguig.
Dismissed Bulacan District 1 engineer Brice Hernandez testified that the money was handed over to a man named “Paul,” reportedly an aide of Congressman Co. Although Hernandez claimed he never directly gave the cash to Co, he said he witnessed his former superior, ex-Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara, meeting with the lawmaker at the hotel.
“We didn’t hand the money to Congressman Zaldy himself,” Hernandez clarified. “It was Paul who received it.”
When pressed by Senator Erwin Tulfo, Hernandez estimated the amount to be in the billions, explaining that each suitcase contained around ₱50 million.
Another former DPWH engineer, Jaypee Mendoza, backed Hernandez’s claims. He detailed how the cash was taken straight to the penthouse elevator and later on delivered to Co’s residence in Valle Verde 6, Pasig City. “For the first two years, it was Shangri-La. After that, everything shifted to Valle Verde,” Mendoza said.
Sunwest Inc., a contractor linked to Co, ranked 286 in BusinessWorld’s Top 1,000 Corporations in the Philippines 2024. The company posted gross revenues of ₱14.34 billion in 2023, a 14.6 percent increase year-on-year.
Hi-Tone Construction and Development Corp., co-founded by Co’s brother Christopher, ranked 642 with ₱5.84 billion in gross revenues, up 4.9 percent. Both Sunwest and Hi-Tone were among 15 contractors that cornered 20 percent of the ₱545-billion budget for flood control projects nationwide since the start of the Marcos administration. Reports show Sunwest obtained over ₱10 billion in contracts, while Hi-Tone secured more than ₱4.8 billion.
Zaldy Co, who once chaired the House appropriations committee, is among several lawmakers under investigation for alleged irregularities in flood control projects. These probes are currently underway in the Senate, the House, and the newly established Independent Commission for Infrastructure.
