The Philippine National Police (PNP) has ramped up operations to track down and apprehend the last two remaining suspects linked to anomalies in flood control projects in Bulacan.
PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. announced on Tuesday that he had ordered regional police offices and intelligence units across the country to bolster coordination and validate fresh leads to ensure the immediate arrest of the fugitives.
”We are highly confident that the remaining fugitives will be brought to justice very soon as our tracker teams are working seamlessly with local government units and communities,” Nartatez said in a statement.
According to the PNP chief, intelligence operatives alongside the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) have secured significant leads regarding the possible whereabouts of the fugitives and the network supporting them.
”We are monitoring their movements closely and have expanded our operations to coordinate with regional and local police units in areas where they are suspected to be hiding,” he added.
The two suspects still at large were identified as Ernesto Galang, the former Planning and Design chief of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan First District Engineering Office, and Lorenzo Pagtalunan, the former officer-in-charge of its Maintenance Section.
Meanwhile, multiple individuals implicated in the case are already under police custody. The detained suspects include spouses Curlee and Sarah Discaya; Ma. Roma Angeline Discaya Rimando, managing officer of St. Timothy Construction Corporation; and current and former DPWH officials Merg Jaron Caparas Laus, Brice Ericson Diaz Hernandez, Jaypee De Leon Mendoza, Norberto De Leon Santos, Juanito Coronel Mendoza, and Floralyn Yutuc Simbulan.
The accused are facing criminal charges for alleged violations of Section 3 of Republic Act 3019, known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, alongside malversation of public funds through the falsification of public documents.