Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said he would not hesitate to order the arrest of former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co if he ignores the invitation or subpoena of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, formally known as the Committee on Accountability, Public Officers and Investigations.
Co and former House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez were both implicated by a witness who claimed they received billions of pesos in cash allegedly delivered by former ACT-CIS Party-list Representative and now Benguet Lone District Congressman Eric Yap.
“Si Zaldy Co, ‘pag hindi umatend, puwedeng i-subpoena. ‘Pag hindi pa rin umattend, ‘yan ang magagamit ngayon ng gobyerno kasi puwede namin siyang isyuhan ng warrant of arrest,” Sotto warned.
He added that even if Co is currently abroad, the Philippine government could request the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to locate him if the Senate issues a warrant of arrest.
Sotto maintained that Co must face the investigation being conducted by both the Senate and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), emphasizing his accountability as chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations — the body responsible for budget insertions.
“Ikaw ang chairman ng Appropriations, dapat humarap ka. Dapat mag-eksplika ka. Eksplika mo kung paano nangyari ‘yan,” the Senate President stressed in a radio interview on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Sotto said there is no need to summon former Senator Grace Poe, who previously chaired the Senate Committee on Finance, noting that she had already appeared before the ICI and clarified she had no involvement in any budget insertions.
“Hindi raw siya humarap sa bicam. Sabi niya. ‘Di ba, ‘yun ang sinabi niya sa ICI. Oo, ‘yung Senate President daw ang humarap sa ICI. Anyway, pinatawag naman nila si Senator Chiz (Escudero),” Sotto said.
Senator Erwin Tulfo, acting chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, confirmed that he has already directed the Senate Secretariat to summon both Co and Romualdez.
Tulfo, Co, and Romualdez previously served together in the House of Representatives during the 19th Congress.