Marcos confirms Zaldy Co is in Portugal, talks ongoing to bring him back to PH
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed that former Ako Bicol representative Zaldy Co is in Portugal.
Marcos disclosed the details to reporters in a press briefing in New York on Mar. 10, the last day of his working visit in the US.
He said the government is coordinating with Portuguese authorities to repatriate Co to the Philippines, noting that the process would not be easy.
“You cannot bring him home because that is not the way it works. We have to ask the assistance of the country where he is in, which is presently Portugal. So, that’s what we have done,” Marcos Jr. said.
He added that the government has already requested a Red Notice through the International Criminal Police Organization to locate Co.
“That's the process. You do not send your own police to go and pick him up kasi wala namang jurisdiction ang police doon sa kung saan ‘yung ibang bansa. So, they cannot arrest anyone. So, it will have to be with the assistance of the hosting country,” the president commented.
Co is considered a central figure in the 2025 flood control scandal involving billions of pesos lost to alleged corruption.
In September of that year, Co resigned from Congress and denied any involvement in the alleged scam. He was then a no-show to Senate hearings on the issue, citing "medical reasons."
On Nov. 14, 2025, Co posted a 6-minute video, implicating Marcos and his cousin former Speaker of the House Martin Romualdez in the flood control mess, claiming they had roles in inserting P100 billion in flood projects into the 2025 national budget.
On Nov. 18, the Ombudsman filed graft and malversation cases against Co, several officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Region 4-B, and executives of Sunwest Inc. over the P289 million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.
Later in the year, Marcos announced that Co's passport was already cancelled. Sandiganbayan declared Co a fugitive for failing to return to the country amid warrants and for non-compliance with the Independent Commission on Infrastructure's probe.
