The government is working to verify reports placing former lawmaker Zaldy Co in Sweden, as Philippine authorities coordinate with foreign counterparts to locate suspects linked to irregular flood control projects, Malacañang said Thursday.
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said agencies are confirming Co’s reported whereabouts following earlier information that he had been staying in a gated community in Lisbon, Portugal. Recent accounts now indicate he may be in Sweden, prompting coordination with local authorities there.
Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. remains confident that individuals who have gone into hiding will eventually be apprehended and returned to the Philippines to face possible charges. “Of course, oo. Optimistic ang Pangulo na mahuhuli at madadala ang mga nagtatago sa kamay ng batas dito sa Pilipinas para mapanagot kung sila ay dapat na mapanagot (The President is optimistic that those hiding from the law will be arrested and brought back to the Philippines so they can be held accountable if they should be held accountable),” she said.
According to the Palace, the Department of the Interior and Local Government has been tasked to verify the latest information on Co’s location and assist in efforts to track him down. “Sa ngayon po ay nakikipag-ugnayan din po tayo sa DILG at ang huli nga po nilang sinabi ay aalamin po nila kung ito’y may katotohanan. At tiwala naman po ang Pangulo sa ginagawa pong trabaho ng ating mga ahensya ng gobyerno lalong-lalo na sa pagtugis sa mga fugitives (At present, we are also coordinating with the DILG, and their latest statement was that they will verify whether this is true. The President, meanwhile, has full confidence in the work of our government agencies, especially in pursuing fugitives),” Castro said.
She also rejected suggestions that the President is frustrated over the continued absence of suspects facing arrest. “Hindi natin masasabing may frustration ang Pangulo dahil alam po niya na ang mga namumuno sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno na tumutugis sa mga fugitive ay nagtatrabaho nang ayon sa kanyang utos (We cannot say that the President is frustrated, because he knows that the heads of government agencies pursuing fugitives are working according to his instructions),” she said, adding that authorities may need to further intensify the search. “Kinakailangan lang po siguro na talagang mas pagpursigihin pa ang paghahanap sa mga taong nagtatago sa kamay ng batas (What may be necessary, however, is to further intensify the search for those who are hiding from the law).”
Arrest warrants against Co and several others were issued in November 2025 in connection with alleged anomalies in flood control projects, a case that remains pending as law enforcement continues coordination efforts abroad.
