Zaldy Co reportedly bound for Spain

After flying to the United States for an apparent medical concern, Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co is reportedly bound for Madrid, Spain, while back home he is facing allegations of pocketing billions in kickbacks from ghost and overpriced flood control projects.

Reports said Co boarded Emirates flight EK 141 out of Singapore at 12:50 a.m. Manila time on 24 September, with a stopover in Dubai before proceeding to Madrid. He is expected to land at Madrid Airport at 7:20 p.m. Manila time (1:20 p.m. local Madrid time).

Co’s visit pass from the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority confirmed his entry into the city-state, as the document shows Co was issued a 30-day visit pass on 16 September 2025 at 3:12 p.m., valid until 16 October 2025.

The party-list representative’s travel records from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection earlier revealed that he flew into New York City on 26 August and departed on 13 September.

The name of the solon has been repeatedly raised in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee probe into anomalous infrastructure projects. Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara testified that Co allegedly pocketed 20 to 25 percent in kickbacks from multibillion-peso flood control allocations.

Dismissed DPWH assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez, meanwhile, claimed he personally delivered roughly ₱1 billion in cash stuffed into 20 suitcases ferried by several vans to one of Co’s staffers.

But Co strongly dismissed the corruption allegations as baseless and politically motivated.

On the other hand, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Jaime Santiago clarified its limitations in tracking the whereabouts of Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co, saying any action must respect due process and the constitutional rights of the accused.

When asked whether the bureau was also interested in knowing where Co was and whether it would assist other authorities if his location was known, Santiago acknowledged the bureau’s interest but stressed that without a warrant of arrest, their hands are tied.

Santiago said that as in other cases, if they don’t have a warrant of arrest, there’s nothing they can do, adding, “I know the constitutional rights of this accused, so we respect that.”