Former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co is prepared to return to the Philippines, but has ruled out restitution as an option, claiming he is innocent of the charges leveled against him.
Meanwhile, Co filed a petition at the Sandiganbayan contesting the cancellation of his passport.
Co’s lawyer said his client would come home only if his safety is guaranteed.
Counsel Ruy Alberto Rondain disclosed that he recently spoke with Co who has been declared a fugitive amid his alleged complicity in the massive flood control scandal.
Rondain also denied that emissaries were sent to talk to concerned government officials on his client’s behalf.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier said Co has sent feelers through intermediaries.
Remulla emphasized however that Co should first return billions of pesos stolen from the government before negotiations for his return to the country could be arranged.
At the forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, Remulla said he has talked to a friend of some priests who are friends of Co. He said he told the friend that restitution or returning stolen money is non-negotiable.
“Restitution comes first. If you are willing to talk, return the money,” Remulla said in Filipino.
Meanwhile, t he Sandiganbayan has denied Co’s motion for reconsideration of the order cancelling his passport thereby making him a fugitive from justice.
“It is undisputed that accused Co remains beyond the reach of the court. He has not voluntarily surrendered or submitted to arrest. Thus, the court maintains that accused Co lacks the requisite legal standing to invoke the court’s processes as long as he remains a fugitive,” the Sandigan said in a resolution dated Jan. 8.
In upholding its resolution declaring Co as fugitive from justice, the anti-graft court said his status “renders him disentitled to seek affirmative relief, including the instant Urgent Motion for Reconsideration.”
It added: “In fine, accused Co’s claimed denial of due process cannot be entertained. Being a fugitive from justice, accused Co is without standing to seek affirmative relief from this court. His Urgent Motion for Reconsideration, and the ancillary reliefs prayed for therein, must therefore fail.”
The motion for reconsideration was filed by Co’s lawyer. It stated that Co was surprised to receive the Dec. 10, 2025 resolution of the court, which affirmed the cancellation of Co’s passport.
In its eight-page resolution last month, the anti-graft court ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs to immediately cancel Co’s Philippine passport.
“It is the court’s view that the deliberate refusal to submit to the lawful authority of the court, unless his demands are met, confirms his clear intent to remain outside the jurisdiction of the court,” the court said in its ruling.
“It must be emphasized that accused left the country at the time investigations into alleged corruption in flood control projects were active and when formal charges against him were imminent. His strategically time flight, therefore, provides sufficient ground for the reasonable inference that his action constituted a deliberate attempt to flee from justice,” it added.
