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Mark Ernest Villeza - The Philippine Star
January 31, 2026 | 12:00am
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on August 20, 2025.
STAR / Jesse Bustos
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson yesterday urged the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to review the Supreme Court’s “fugitive disentitlement doctrine” to help limit the legal options of fugitives like former congressman Zaldy Co and businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang.
Co is wanted by both the Sandiganbayan and the Senate Blue Ribbon committee which Lacson chairs, for his role in a multibillion-peso public works corruption racket. Ang, meanwhile, is wanted for his role in masterminding the disappearance of missing cockfight enthusiasts or sabungeros.
“Paging SolGen (Solicitor General): It may be wise to ask the Court to revisit the ‘fugitive disentitlement doctrine’ in GR 259337 dtd Nov. 25, 2025 that refined Miranda vs Tuliao in relation to the cases of Zaldy Co and Atong Ang,” Lacson posted on X.
Co, in his petition, claimed the “fugitive disentitlement doctrine” should not apply to his Sandiganbayan cases because judgment has not been rendered, and “so he is not an appellant; neither is he an escapee or bail jumper.”
Lacson said a 2025 Supreme Court decision clarified the Miranda vs. Tuliao ruling, which had allowed individuals to seek affirmative relief in criminal cases while staying outside the reach of Philippine courts.
The new decision defined a fugitive from justice as someone “who not only flees after conviction to avoid punishment, but one who also flees after being charged to avoid prosecution” and that “the essential element is the intent to evade prosecution or punishment.”
The decision said jurisdiction over the person of the accused is not acquired simply by the filing of pleadings or participation through counsel.
“Custody over the person of the accused must first be obtained before the case may proceed,” it said.
Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation yesterday confirmed that the International Criminal Police Organization has yet to issue a red notice against Co.
