President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday said the government will instantly cancel the passport of former lawmaker Zaldy Co once formal charges are filed against him in connection with the alleged “ghost” flood control projects.
“I think that’s best directed at a lawyer because it’s a legal answer,” President Marcos said in a press conference in Malacañang.
“Since no case has been filed yet, the request for the cancellation of his passport cannot yet be made. However, when the time comes, we will immediately cancel his passport,” he added.
The president explained that passport cancellation must be based on legal grounds, which depend on cases formally filed in court.
“You have to give grounds for the cancellation of the passport, and those grounds will be based on the cases that will be filed against him,” Mr. Marcos said.
When asked whether Co could serve as a state witness in the corruption probe, President Marcos said the option “is always there except for those who are the most guilty.”
Pressed on whether he believed Co to be among the most guilty, the president declined to give a direct answer.
“Pag sinabi ko, sasabihin pre-judged (When I say that, people might say ‘pre-judged’),” he said with a laugh. “Let the courts do their work, let the judges do the work.”
Co, a former representative of Ako Bicol party-list, is among several individuals linked to the alleged misuse of funds for flood control projects, which the administration has vowed to prosecute before Christmas.
In the same event, President Marcos warned those involved in the anomalous projects that their days were over, as he assured that the government would chase down everyone linked to the corruption scandal.
“And those people who are involved there, these shameless ones who steal the people’s money. Your happy days are over. We will chase you down,” he said in Tagalog.
