Two former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Mimaropa officials have disputed reports of their arrest, maintaining that they voluntarily surrendered to authorities in connection with the malversation trial of former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co.
The legal battle, which centers on a controversial road dike project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, is currently under review by the Sandiganbayan’s Sixth Division.
During Tuesday’s court session, defense lawyers for Dennis Abagon, the ex-chief of the DPWH-Mimaropa Quality Assurance and Hydrology Division, and Juliet Calvo, the former chief of the Maintenance Division, moved to clarify how their clients entered custody after arrest warrants were issued in November 2025.
To substantiate Abagon’s account, his legal team called DPWH-Mimaropa driver Joel Briones to the stand. Briones testified that the former official explicitly directed him to arrange transport for his surrender immediately following the release of the warrants.
During the witness examination, Abagon’s lawyer detailed the events:
“Noong hinatid mo [Briones] na siya, anong sunod na nangyari? Sinabi niya [Abagon] na hintayin ang tawag niya kinabukasan. Sinabi niya na ipagmamaneho sila dahil magkikita-kita sila ng kapwa akusado para sumuko,” Abagon’s lawyer stated while examining the witness.
Calvo’s defense team presented a similar timeline of events, establishing that she arrived at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) headquarters in Camp Crame around 7:45 p.m. on November 25, 2025. Her attorneys stressed that she traveled to the facility without a police escort to proactively address the court’s order.
To support this, the defense entered into evidence a January 7, 2026, certification signed by CIDG National Capital Region Chief, Police Colonel John Guiagui, which formally validates Calvo’s voluntary surrender.
The distinction between an arrest and a voluntary surrender carries weight in the trial. Department of Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty previously noted that turning oneself in willingly functions as a mitigating circumstance, giving the judiciary the discretion to lower a potential sentence in the event of a conviction.