The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has placed all personnel at international airports and seaports nationwide on heightened alert following the issuance of arrest warrants against former lawmaker Zaldy Co and 15 other individuals.
The warrants, issued by the Sandiganbayan on November 21, stem from charges connected to an alleged anomalous flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.
In a statement released on Sunday, November 23, Immigration Commissioner Joel Viado confirmed that the names of all 16 individuals subject to the anti-graft court’s order have been entered into the agency’s centralized derogatory database.
This measure is intended to immediately flag and verify anyone on the list who attempts to enter or exit the Philippines.
Viado instructed immigration officers that, upon interception, they must “promptly coordinate with the Philippine National Police for the proper and lawful execution of the warrants.”
BI travel records indicate that four of the 16 co-accused are currently outside the country.
These individuals and their last recorded departures are: Zaldy Co, who departed for Singapore on August 6; Montrexis Tamayo, Department of Public Works and Highways’ Planning and Design Division officer-in-charge, who left for Qatar on November 15; Aderma Angelie Alcazar, President and Board Chairman of Co-owned Sunwest Inc., who traveled to Australia on October 2; and Cesar Buenaventura, Sunwest Inc. treasurer, who flew to the United Arab Emirates on October 2.