Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday linked Sunwest Construction and Development Corp., owned by resigned Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co, to the controversial 'overpriced' Department of Education (DepEd) laptop procurement scandal first flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) in 2021.
In a press conference, Duterte said that while she was serving as Education Secretary, her office conducted an internal investigation into the questionable purchase of laptops for public school teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Imbestigahan nila 'yung laptop corruption scandal ng Department of Education. Nandun si Zaldy Co. At alam ko 'yun dahil gumawa kami ng sarili naming investigation sa loob ng Department of Education noong ako ay Department of Education Secretary," Duterte said.
"Sunwest ang contractor ng laptop doon sa DepEd," she added.
The COA’s 2021 audit report earlier flagged the DepEd’s PHP 2.4-billion laptop purchase, noting that the units were "pricey and outdated." The laptops were procured under the agency’s distance learning program at the height of the pandemic.
Duterte also hinted that confidential funds were used during her tenure to gather evidence in relation to the investigation.
"May I just say na merong confidential funds na pumunta doon sa paghahanap ng ebidensya sa investigation na yun," she revealed.
The Vice President further questioned the selective nature of corruption probes, suggesting that certain investigations are being controlled to protect those close to the administration.
"Bakit specific yung pag-iimbestiga? Bakit hindi iniimbestigahan lahat ng corruption scandal? Bakit kinokontrol yung kwento sa korapsyon? Bakit hindi nilalabas lahat ng mga insidente o mga gawain o mga iskandalo sa korapsyon, bakit pinipili? Kaya natin nasasabi lahat na merong controlling the narrative ay dahil pinipili nila kung ano yung gusto nila imbestigahan," the Vice President stated.
"Kapag medyo tatamaan na o merong tatamaan o tatamaan na talaga ang Office of the President, ang administrasyon sa imbestigasyon, ay biglang namamatay yung imbestigasyon. Nawawala o nalilibing o nalulubog yung imbestigasyon. So ibig sabihin, meron talagang pagkontrol sa kwento," she added.
Zaldy Co, along with his brother Christopher “Kito” Co, founded Sunwest Construction and Development Corporation. The company later expanded into real estate, energy, and tourism.
It can be recalled that, in 2024, Senator Joel Villanueva also linked Co’s Sunwest company — allegedly one of the country’s biggest government contractors — to both the DepEd laptop deal and the controversial Pharmally scandal, which involved the procurement of pandemic supplies.
