The Philippine government can use a United Nations anti-corruption treaty adopted in 2003 to help locate and arrest fugitive ex-lawmaker Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co, Senate president pro tempore Panfilo Lacson said on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Philippine Embassy in Portugal has yet to receive information on the whereabouts of Zaldy Co in the European country, DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona said.
Lacson explained that the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), ratified by the Philippine Senate in 2006, remains a valid international agreement that allows countries to cooperate in fighting corruption across borders.
“We are a signatory, along with 191 other countries worldwide, to a UN anti-corruption agreement among different nations. Imagine 192 countries. If the Philippine government taps the resources of the other 191 countries, you can imagine how wide the reach would be in locating and arresting Zaldy Co,” he said.
The veteran lawmaker pointed out that Article 38 of the convention obliges state parties to assist one another in investigations and criminal proceedings related to corruption cases.
He said the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Foreign Affairs could study this option as a way to strengthen ongoing efforts to locate Co.
According to Lacson, tapping the convention could complement the Philippine government’s request for an international police alert through Interpol, especially since Co’s passport has already been canceled.
Lacson also said the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which he chairs, may formally obtain documents recovered by the National Bureau of Investigation from Co’s condominium unit to complete committee records and support future legislation.
He also rejected claims of demoralization in the Senate despite the possibility that some lawmakers could face arrest in connection with the flood control controversy.
The senator acknowledged that the situation has caused sadness among senators, but said there remains strong enthusiasm to continue legislative work and push reforms aimed at ending corruption.
“Filipinos are getting hit from two sides. They are hit on the expenditure side and hit on the revenue side. The people are completely beaten down,” Lacson said. “There should be a limit. Some people really don’t know when to stop; they don’t know when to quit.”
In an interview with DZBB on Sunday, Dec. 14, Escalona explained that the embassy has not received any report on the Co who fled the country ostensibly for medical reasons, but has not returned since he was implicated in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.
The Philippine government has yet to determine the exact location of Co after the DFA canceled his passport on Dec.10 following a Sandiganbayan order, which declared the former Ako Bicol party-list representative as 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 Co 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, notably a Portuguese passport. 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 Juanito Victor 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 might complicate matters.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Finding Zaldy: Lacson says gov’t may tap UNCAC in search of Co”
