The accusations made by former lawmaker Zaldy Co hold no weight unless he returns to the Philippines and faces the cases filed against him in connection with alleged anomalies in flood control projects, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said.
“Look at the quality of his statements,” Mr. Marcos said in a press conference at the Palace.
“We have talked extensively about fake news. Anyone can go online and make all kinds of claims and say all kinds of things – over and over again. It means nothing,” Mr. Marcos added.
Co on Monday released another video message on social media detailing how he allegedly delivered P56 billion in kickbacks on top of the alleged P100 billion in insertions in the 2025 budget.
The President, however, maintained that the only venue for accountability is through legal proceedings.
“For it to mean something, he should come home, he should face the cases against him,” Mr. Marcos said.
“If he has something to say, let him say it. People will find out anyway. Prove it…But come home. Come home. Why are you hiding so far away?”
“If you have an accusation against me, I’m here. He should do the fair thing (and make his accusations here), just to be fair,” the President added.
As this developed, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Co could be “travelling with another passport” as he confirmed that an Interpol blue notice is already out against the former lawmaker.
“We do not know if he is using another name. We are still verifying that,” he said.
“Now that we have the arrest warrant, the (Interpol) red notice can be out soon and we will further determine where he really is,” the Interior chief added.
A red notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.
A blue notice, on the other hand, seeks to collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation.
