President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has ordered the cancellation of former Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co’s passport as the government intensifies its crackdown on corruption tied to flood control projects.
In a recorded message released Wednesday, December 10, Marcos said the move is intended to stop Co—believed to be hiding in Portugal—from evading prosecution.
Co faces multiple criminal charges before the Sandiganbayan, including one count of malversation of public funds through falsification of documents and two counts of graft.
The President said he directed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to work closely with Philippine embassies abroad to track Co’s movements and block any attempt to slip into other jurisdictions.
“In-instruction-an ko na ang DFA, pati ang PNP, na makipag-ugnayan sa ating mga embassies… para tiyakin na hindi maaaring magtago,” Marcos said.
He emphasized that any country should immediately alert Manila if Co attempts to travel, enabling authorities to facilitate his return.
Marcos also confirmed that Sarah Discaya, a government contractor implicated in the same flood control cases, surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday while awaiting the issuance of an arrest warrant.