3 days ago
6
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
April 17, 2026 | 3:30pm
Composite photo shows President Marcos Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former Rep. Elizaldy Co.
The STAR / Noel Pabalate and House of Representatives / Released
MANILA, Philippines — Is Zaldy Co ready to tell the truth?
This is the question of Palace Press Officer Claire Castro aimed at the fugitive lawmaker, who was detained by Czech authorities on Thursday while trying to cross the border into Germany.
While on the run, Co accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other executive officials of being a mastermind in the flood control projects.
In a press briefing on Friday, Castro was asked if Marcos was ready in case Co tried to further implicate him.
“Ang dapat na tanong diyan ay kung handa ba si Zaldy Co na magsabi ng katotohanan. Kung handa ba siya na sabihin kung sino — kung ha? Hindi natin sinasabing siya ay guilty — kung sino ba iyong kaniyang mga nakasama,” Castro said.
(The question here should be whether Zaldy Co is ready to tell the truth. If he is ready to say who — we are not saying that he is guilty — but who is involved.)
Castro reiterated that Marcos was the one who started the investigation.
The president was happy to hear that Co was detained, and he has already instructed the proper government agencies to secure the former lawmaker’s return to the Philippines.
“Nais lang po nating ipaalala sa mga nagsasabing kinalimutan na ang flood control scandal, hindi po iyan totoo. Ang pagkilos ng gobyerno, ang utos ng Pangulo ay nananatili — managot ang dapat na managot,” Castro said.
(We just want to remind those who are saying that we forgot the flood control scandal, it is not true. The actions of the government, the orders of the president remain — those who are involved must be accountable.)
Co is treated as a central figure in the flood control scam, with billions of pesos suspected to have been lost in these schemes. In a video statement, the former lawmaker claimed that P1 billion was delivered to Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
