It is in the news. The Philippine government under the administration of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. will do everything to get former Ako Bicol Partylist representative Zaldy Co back in the country, or face the consequences.

One question is why is there a threat to the life of Co when he returns to the country? Perhaps because he knows the truth about what happened and probably is still happening in the Legislative branch of the government, particularly in the House of Representatives?

I can quote Rowena Guanzon here when she said that “maybe Zaldy Co will come out as a hero. When Zaldy Co returns home, he will be the hero, not the villain, because he will surely expose to the public the true culprits.”

For the first time, Attorney Ruy Rondain, Co’s lawyer, has spoken in public to clarify the seemingly deviant issue of corruption, the allegedly  anomalous flood control projects and Co’s ownership of at least three planes and helicopters which turned out to have been acquired by Misibis Aviation, a company founded in 2004, 15 years before Co became a representative in 2019. 

“How can properties acquired before he was a congressman be illegal?” Rondain asked.

With regard to the matter of Co’s “counter affidavit,” how they could respond, Rondain said, when no case has been filed against his client.

Rondain said “the narrative has been so twisted because of the misinformation... the people in general have been misled on the issue.”

One thing that came up during Rondain’s press conference was the matter of Co’s SALN, which netizens and the media were focusing on. Everyone was surprised when Rondain said that even before he became a congressman, Co was already worth P4.1 billion, a declaration supported by documents such as his income tax returns.

Contrary to reports  that the Ombudsman was looking for Co’s  Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), it was clarified that Co is willing to show his SALN and “the Ombudsman is the custodian of all SALNs  since the time of Arroyo.”

So before we wrap up, I think it is just appropriate that the government  give Co and its lawyers another chance to answer the allegations given the length of time the investigation has been going on for months.

Netizens are crying out but no one has been held accountable yet — government officials and private individuals alike  — for all the anomalous flood control projects, among other things.

Are the people who are in the hot seat in the eyes of the government the ones who were really involved or are they just being used to divert attention away from the people who are really guilty? 

This is a question the public should get the answer to in the coming days.