Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the government is weighing a possible appeal to Portugal as authorities continue efforts to locate former House appropriations chair and resigned lawmaker Zaldy Co, who is facing graft and malversation charges tied to a flood control project.
Remulla acknowledged that Portugal has no extradition treaty with the Philippines, but he pointed to precedents that could guide Manila’s next steps. Speaking in a television interview, he remarked, “Hindi ako nawawalan ng pag-asa kasi maliit ang mundo at lalong lumiliit ang mundo niya. Pwede siya magkamali. Pwede tayong swertehin. Through negotiations, mapapagbigyan tayo ng Portuguese government.”
The secretary referenced the earlier case of ex-Negros Oriental representative Arnie Teves, who fled to Timor-Leste amid accusations linking him to the killing of Governor Roel Degamo. Despite the absence of an extradition pact, Timor-Leste eventually removed Teves from its territory. Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão personally relayed the deportation to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia in May.
Co was last known to be in Portugal, and officials believe he may have been a Portuguese passport holder for about seven years. “We don’t have the exact date, but that is our theory,” Remulla said.
Investigators have already searched properties linked to Co in Pasig and Pasay. Remulla added that authorities are now pursuing additional warrants to inspect more locations, including sites in Makati and several areas in the Bicol region.
