Palace welcomes arrest of ex-lawmaker Zaldy Co

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said Friday that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was pleased over the recent arrest of former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co in the Czech Republic.

Marcos announced Thursday evening, April 16, Philippine time, that Co was apprehended near the Czech-German border for crossing without proper documentation and has since been held by authorities in Prague.

Malacañang also said Thursday that it has been coordinating with Czech authorities to bring Co back to the Philippines, while the Philippine National Police has signaled its readiness to assist.

Government charges against Co in the Philippines include malversation of public funds under Article 217, in relation to Article 171(4), of the Revised Penal Code, and violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, or Republic Act No. 3019.

The charges stem from a PHP289 million flood control project along the Mag-asawang Tubig River in Oriental Mindoro.

Co is also facing a separate graft charge under Section 3(h) of Republic Act No. 3019 for allegedly receiving unwarranted financial or pecuniary benefits.

Speaking to local media in Iloilo City on Friday, Castro said Co’s arrest could pave the way for his return to the Philippines, where he faces multiple charges linked to the flood control controversy.

“Zaldy Co […] has a case, and his passport had already been cancelled, so he turned out to be a fugitive. A fugitive should be caught, and with the President’s leadership, he learned that a fugitive may be returned to the Philippines, so it’s good news,” Castro said.

“If a person has a warrant of arrest, a fugitive, whose passport is cancelled, who wouldn’t be happy that [he] would be returned to the Philippines to be held accountable?” she added.

Castro also raised the possibility that Co could identify others allegedly involved in the controversy.

Co has linked President Marcos to the issue, but Castro maintained that it was the president who pushed for accountability from Co and other individuals tied to the case.

“The question [now] is, is Zaldy Co ready to tell the truth? Is he ready to say, and we’re saying ‘if’, wer’re not saying he was guilty, who he was with [in the controversy?]” she said.

“The President is ready to listen to anything that might be said by people who are involved by those who must be held subject to the law,” she added.

Castro said Co’s arrest should serve as a reminder that the Marcos administration is not backing down from the flood control probe.

She said this remains the case despite the closure of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, which the president created to look into the controversy, and despite the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee report lacking enough signatures for endorsement to the plenary.

“We wish to remind to those saying that the flood control scandal is being forgotten. It is not true. The movement of the government, [and] the President’s orders, remain. Those who should be held accountable, should be held accountable,” Castro said.

What comes next

Returning Co to the Philippines may prove complicated because the Philippines and the Czech Republic do not have an extradition treaty.

Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla told GMA News on Friday morning that authorities had applied for a Red Notice with the International Criminal Police Organization, or INTERPOL, in November 2025.

According to INTERPOL’s website, a Red Notice is a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal action.

Red Notices are used to alert police in INTERPOL member countries about internationally wanted fugitives.

Such notices are based on an arrest warrant or court order issued by judicial authorities in the requesting country or by an international tribunal.

Each INTERPOL member state applies its own laws in deciding whether to arrest a person.

A Red Notice issued at the request of the International Criminal Court was also used in the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte, which led to his detention in the Netherlands.

A Red Notice may be used in Co’s case because both the Czech Republic and the Philippines are INTERPOL member states.

Remulla said intelligence reports showed that Co had traveled across Europe, entering the Czech Republic from France and having also been spotted in Italy in the past week.

He added that the Department of Foreign Affairs has been coordinating with Czech authorities through the Philippine Embassy in Prague.

Remulla declined to give a timetable for Co’s return to the Philippines and deferred the matter to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Once Co is returned to the Philippines, Remulla said he will be brought to Camp Crame for processing and later turned over to the Sandiganbayan, where he faces active warrants.