Palace awaits Zaldy’s ‘truthful’ testimony

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April 20, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —  Malacañang is awaiting the revelations of flood control scam suspect and resigned lawmaker Zaldy Co, who was arrested last Thursday after entering the Czech Republic without proper documentation.

“The question should be, how ready is Zaldy Co to tell the truth? If he is ready to say – we are not saying he is guilty – who were with him?” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said at a press briefing on Friday when asked how ready is President Marcos for Co’s return to the Philippines.   

“The President, I repeat, was the one who started the investigation into anomalous flood control projects. He was the first one to order an investigation into the alleged corruption. The President is ready to listen to everything that the involved persons who should be accountable before the law may say,” she added.  

The former representative of Ako Bicol party-list was arrested in Prague for illegal entry and is now in the custody of Czech authorities. The interior department said his deportation might take up to three weeks. 

Co departed the Philippines before the Sandiganbayan issued an arrest warrant against him for malversation of public funds and graft over an allegedly anomalous road dike in Oriental Mindoro worth P289.5 million. The arrest warrant against him, issued last Nov. 21, also covered at least 15 other persons from the public works department and construction firm Sunwest Corp. His passport was canceled in December. 

Days before the issuance of his arrest warrant, Co, who used to head the powerful House appropriations committee, alleged that Marcos had ordered him to insert P100 billion worth of projects in the 2025 national budget. He also claimed that the President had benefited from the kickbacks from flood control projects. 

Malacañang has denied his allegations, dismissing them as both “hearsay” and a “desperate act.”

Castro said Marcos, who ordered a probe into the flood control scam in his State of the Nation Address last year, was happy with Co’s arrest. 

“His directive was to hold to account those who should be held to account. Who won’t be happy if a person facing a warrant of arrest, a fugitive with a canceled passport is brought back to the Philippines?” she said.  

Castro reiterated that the government is continuously running after those linked to anomalous projects.  

“We would like to remind those who claim that the flood control scandal has been forgotten. That is not true,” the Palace press officer said. 

Swift resolution

Meanwhile, Sen. Erwin Tulfo is pushing to swiftly conclude the investigation into the multibillion-peso flood control anomaly once Co testifies, allowing the government to fully pivot toward the worsening economic fallout of the Middle East crisis.

“While we want to prioritize crisis-driven issues and solutions to ensure that every Filipino family are taken care of, it is our duty to exact accountability,” the Senate Blue Ribbon committee vice chair explained.

The senator noted that the recent capture of Co should provide the panel with the necessary material to finally wrap up the investigation and forward the findings to the courts.

– Neil Jayson Servallos