With Zaldy Co’s arrest, Leila de Lima calls for simultaneous probes
MANILA, Philippines — Different investigations on the budget mess and the flood control scam should be done simultaneously now that former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co has been detained in the Czech Republic, Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said on Friday.
In a statement, De Lima said that the government should not waste time deporting Co back to the Philippines, so that he can face the cases against him.
“With the arrest of Zaldy Co, the Philippine government should waste no time in fast-tracking his deportation. He should face all the charges in the proper forum and divulge everything that he knows, even the evidence he has regarding anomalous flood control projects,” De Lima said in mixed Filipino and English.
READ: Sandiganbayan seizes Zaldy Co’s 16 properties
“Let us conduct a simultaneous investigation into the allegations involving her. Because, as with impeachment, the search for the truth should not be put on hold until #AllCorruptAreHeldAccountable,” she added.
Meanwhile, lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc — ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela party-list Rep. Sarah Jane Elago, and Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Co — said that the former lawmaker’s repatriation would allow him to testify against the officials he implicated in his video messages released last November 2025.
“The reported arrest of former Ako Bicol Representative Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co finally opens the door for him to face the serious cases filed against him in the Philippines. His return must not be reduced to a media spectacle or a convenient ending; it must be the beginning of a full public reckoning over the flood control scam and the broader system of corruption in public works and budgeting,” Makabayan said.
“Co’s repatriation will also make it possible for him to testify under oath on his previous revelations regarding the role of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. and other high officials in a corruption network that enabled massive budget insertions and anomalous infrastructure allocations,” they added.
According to the three, Co should not be the only one held accountable.
READ: Palace: Evidence guides government response in flood control scandal
“Co should not be the only one held accountable if there is a system running the corrupt activities. Everyone who benefited — regardless of how high their position is — should answer to the law. Everyone involved, starting from the top, should be accountable,” they added.
Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno also said that Co’s case should be a reminder that the people do not forget issues of graft and corruption.
“This is a welcome development. This is a chance for Co to explain and answer the allegations against her regarding the 2025 budget and the anomalous flood control projects,” Diokno said.
“As the country continues to deal with the consequences of these projects, one thing is clear: the people do not forget. May this serve as a reminder that the rule of law must apply to all, including those in power and influence,” he added.
Initially, reports on Thursday night stated that Co was arrested in Prague. Later on, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself confirmed that Co was arrested and detained in the said city, because he crossed into the Czech Republic without proper documentation.
READ: Ridon expects Co to shed more details on the flood control mess
Co is said to be currently under the custody of Czech authorities.
On Friday morning, Marcos clarified that the former lawmaker was stopped at the German border after entering from the Czech Republic.
“Our coordination with Czech authorities continues. The latest information confirms that Zaldy Co was stopped at the German border after entering from the Czech Republic. He was denied entry and returned to Czech authorities, where he remains in custody,” Marcos said.
Co left the country while still a lawmaker for a medical procedure in the United States. But after he was implicated in the 2025 budget mess and the infrastructure corruption issue, Co did not return home — prompting House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III to ask him to do so.
By Sept. 18, Dy officially revoked Co’s travel clearance, ordering him to report back to the House of Representatives within 10 days to answer allegations. But instead of returning home, Co said on his Facebook page that he is stepping down from his post with a heavy heart.
According to Co, he is leaving the House due to threats to his and his family’s life, and the alleged denial of due process.
Co stayed silent after this, but last Nov. 14, the former lawmaker released a video accusing Marcos, former members of his cabinet, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez of being behind insertions in the 2025 national budget.
In the first set of videos released by Co, he claimed that Marcos, through former Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, ordered the insertion of P100 billion for infrastructure projects in the 2025 budget. Co was head of the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations during the 19th Congress, the panel that crafts the budget.
Co said Pangandaman instructed him to include P100 billion in insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). After he supposedly confirmed the directive with Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin, Co said he told Romualdez — Marcos’ cousin — about this instruction.
He also backed a Senate witness’s statement that money in luggage was delivered to Marcos and Romualdez.
But Co’s statements have been questioned by several individuals, even by some critics of the current administration. Two college professors — Professor Antonio Contreras and former Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno — found a flaw in Co’s claims, noting that the President himself could have done the insertions himself if he wanted to.
There were also concerns as to whether the order indeed came from President Marcos as Co in his statements never said that he got to speak to Marcos directly. Marcos himself urged Co to come home and testify against him, noting that he has nothing to hide. /mr /atm
