Screengrab from BBM

Seven of the 16 individuals charged alongside former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co over the flood-control corruption scandal are already in government custody, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced Monday — and he didn’t hold back on calling out the rest.

In a public update released through his social media pages, Marcos detailed the first wave of arrests following the Sandiganbayan’s issuance of warrants last Friday.

According to him, one suspect was seized by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), while six others turned themselves in to the Philippine National Police–Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG). Two more have reportedly sent word that they plan to surrender soon.

That leaves seven fugitives still on the run — including Co himself.

And Marcos’ message to them was blunt.

“Sa lahat ng natitirang akusado, ang aking payo: sumuko na kayo. Huwag na ninyong hintaying habulin pa kayo,” he warned, adding that anyone caught hiding the fugitives would also be held liable.

The President emphasized there will be no special treatment for any of the suspects. Everyone arrested or surrendered will remain under NBI custody while awaiting further orders from the court.

This marks the biggest move yet in the government’s crackdown on the allegedly rigged flood-control projects — a scandal Marcos publicly exposed during his State of the Nation Address, triggering a sweeping investigation involving the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, DPWH, COA, and the Ombudsman.

“Hindi kami titigil. Hindi kami hihinto,” he said, reiterating his earlier promise to send those behind the multi-billion-peso corruption mess to jail “before Christmas.”