Geline Salac

A screengrab from a video released by former Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Zaldy Co implicating President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez in the insertion of P100-B worth of projects in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

(Courtesy of Zaldy Co)

Article (news)

Zaldy Co

David Dizon

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZN0fXtxz_LQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>Resigned party-list lawmaker Zaldy Co may be back in the Philippines in 1 to 3 weeks, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Friday, as the foreign affairs department worked with Czech authorities to speed up his extradition.</p><p>Co, a central figure in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal, was <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/16/zaldy-co-arrested-detained-in-prague-2155">arrested</a> after crossing into the Czech Republic without proper documentation, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced Thursday. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/17/profile-who-is-zaldy-co-0012">PROFILE: Who is Zaldy Co?</a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jp3ZwX2M-kA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>The fugitive ex-lawmaker is now detained in Prague.</p><p>Remulla said Co was spotted in Italy 3 weeks ago and had been moving around to avoid detection. He was arrested  because his passport was canceled.</p><p>“Hindi niya dala ‘yung kanyang Portuguese passport. Wala siyang dala. Parang nagkampante na. Wala siyang travel document so hinuli kaagad,” he said in a DZMM interview.</p><p>Asked how long before Co is deported back to the Philippines, he said: “Siguro as little as 1 week or as long as 3 weeks. Depende yan sa [Department of Foreign Affairs]. Sila talaga ang lead dito.”</p><p>In a separate interview, Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Sen. Panfilo Lacson said the panel will reopen its inquiry into the flood control scandal and summon Co once he is deported back to the Philippines. </p><p>He confirmed Co could be brought back to the country quickly if he does not challenge the deportation. </p><p>“Mabilis ‘yun kasi administrative lang ‘yun. Matagal kung i-co-contest niya, kasi magkakaroon ng court hearings,” Lacson said.</p><p>The DILG will take custody of Co once he arrives in the Philippines. He will be detained in Camp Crame and will be arraigned before the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court.</p><p>Marcos added Thursday that &quot;our coordination with Czech authorities continues.&quot;</p><p>&quot;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,&quot; he said in a Facebook post. <strong></strong></p><p>The former Ako Bicol Party-list representative left the Philippines in mid-2025 supposedly to seek medical treatment abroad, but he has since refused to return to the country after Marcos opened an investigation into anomalous flood control projects, including those constructed by his family&#x27;s  Sunwest Corp.</p><p>Co was further swept into the controversy after several Department of Public Works and Highways officials tagged him as among the high-ranking government officials who earned kickbacks from substandard or missing anti-flood infrastructures that amounted to hundreds of billions of pesos.</p><p>The House of Representatives tried to force Co to return to the Philippines by canceling his travel authority, but he resigned as Ako Bicol Party-list representative shortly before his peers could finalize the move.</p><p>While Co’s Philippine passport has been canceled in December 2025, the former lawmaker was able to remain overseas reportedly through the use of a foreign passport and a golden visa from Portugal.</p><p>In February 2026, the Sandiganbayan declared Co a fugitive after charges of graft and malversation were filed against HIM over an anomalous road dike project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.</p><p>The government earlier said it has been working with the International Criminal Police Organization to facilitate Co’s arrest as the Philippines has no extradition treaty with Portugal, where the former House member was reportedly staying.</p><p>Co previously released a series of videos implicating Marcos in the nationwide corruption scheme, but the President and the Malacañang denied the allegations.</p><div><strong>L</strong><strong>AWMAKERS REACT TO CO ARREST</strong></div><p>Several lawmakers, meanwhile, welcomed news of Co’s arrest.</p><p>Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno said Co’s capture in the Czech Republic is a welcome development.</p><p>“Pagkakataon na rin ito ni Co na magpaliwanag at sagutin ang mga alegasyon tungkol sa 2025 budget at maanomalyang flood control projects. As the country continues to deal with the consequences of these projects, one thing is clear: hindi nakakalimot ang taumbayan,” he said in a statement.</p><p>He added: “May this serve as a reminder that the rule of law must apply to all, including those in power and influence.”</p><p>House Deputy Minority leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said that by the time Co is back in the Philippines “the one year bar will have expired and it will be time for another impeachment of Marcos.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>With a report by Katrina Domingo and Harlene Delgado, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dG3udyH5LD4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oPrrneqgCh0?&amp;t=7s&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Resigned party-list lawmaker Zaldy Co may be back in the Philippines in 1-3 weeks, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Friday, as the foreign affairs department works with Czech authorities to speed up his extradition.</p>

Resigned party-list lawmaker Zaldy Co may be back in the Philippines in 1-3 weeks, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Friday, as the foreign affairs department works with Czech authorities to speed up his extradition.

Zaldy Co back in PH in '1-3 weeks': Remulla

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Zaldy Co back in PH in '1-3 weeks': Remulla

David Dizon,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 17, 2026 07:23 AM PHT

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Updated April 17, 2026 12:00 PM PHT

Read More:

zaldy co

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extradition

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