The Sandiganbayan has officially labeled former House appropriations committee chair and Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co as a fugitive from justice, directing the Department of Foreign Affairs to cancel his Philippine passport. In a December 10 resolution, the court said Ombudsman prosecutors had shown a “pattern of non-compliance” by Co, indicating his intent to evade the ongoing criminal proceedings.
Co, along with 16 others, is facing graft and malversation charges tied to the ₱289-million substandard road dike project in Oriental Mindoro. The anti-graft court highlighted Co’s actions — including resigning from Congress instead of returning to the country, ignoring subpoenas from the Independent Congressional Inquiry (ICI), and failing to file a counter-affidavit — as evidence of deliberate avoidance.
The resolution added that Co left the Philippines at a critical time when corruption investigations related to flood control projects were intensifying and when formal charges were imminent. His “strategically timed flight,” the court said, supports the conclusion that he intended to flee from prosecution.
In a separate ruling, the Sandiganbayan also ordered the cancellation of the passports of Sunwest Inc. directors Aderma Angelie Alcazar, Cesar Buenaventura, and Noel Cao for similarly evading arrest. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier announced that Co’s passport had already been canceled, and the DFA confirmed that the process was completed Wednesday afternoon. Co, who earlier claimed he was abroad for medical reasons, has yet to return and continues to deny the allegations against him.
