The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Philippine Embassy in Lisbon has yet to receive any information on the alleged whereabouts of fugitive ex-lawmaker Zaldy Co in Portugal, according to spokesperson Angelica Escalona.
In an interview with DZBB on Sunday, December 14, Escalona explained that the embassy has not received any report on the matter. Co fled the country supposedly for medical reasons, but has not returned since he was implicated in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.
“Wala pa po silang impormasyong naibigay sa amin. Wala pang report (The Philippine Embassy has not provided any information yet. There is no report at the moment),” Escalona said.
The Philippine government has yet to determine the exact location of Co after the DFA canceled his passport on December 10 after receiving the Sandiganbayan’s order, which declared the former Ako Bicol party-list representative a “fugitive from justice.”
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. also directed the DFA and the Philippine National Police to coordinate with embassies abroad, as well as with governments of other countries, to help bring him back to the Philippines.
Escalona explained that when the DFA cancels a passport, this action is reported to the Bureau of Immigration and the local INTERPOL office, which subsequently alerts INTERPOL globally to flag the passport in its border control system.
However, she noted that the DFA cannot verify whether Zaldy Co holds a foreign passport, such as a Portuguese one.
“The DFA cannot answer if he has a foreign passport, lalo na kung (especially a) Portuguese passport… Hindi lahat ng Pilipino na nakakakuha ng foreign citizenship at foreign passport ay nag-re-report sa DFA (Not all Filipinos who obtain foreign citizenship and passports report this to the DFA),” she added.
Earlier, Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said they are coordinating with Portuguese authorities amid suspicions that Co acquired a passport from Portugal many years back.
Remulla emphasized that while the cancellation of Co’s Philippine passport will restrict his ability to travel abroad, the alleged existence of a Portuguese passport may complicate matters.
