Fugitive Zaldy Co wants to talk — DILG

Fugitive former Congressman Zaldy Co appears to be quietly testing the waters for a possible engagement with the government, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said, revealing that Co has sent “feelers” through priests close to him.

In an interview at Camp Crame, Remulla said Co’s camp has relayed messages via members of the clergy personally acquainted with him.

“He has started sending feelers through some priests he knows,” Remulla said, rather than directly to the authorities.

The secretary emphasized that these overtures should not be interpreted as a formal surrender.

“Not exactly surrender feelers. It’s more like he wants to establish a dialogue with us,” he said, adding that the information remains secondhand and unverified.

“It was passed along by a friend of a friend,” he noted, while stressing that any sign of a willingness to talk will still be taken seriously.

Remulla said the DILG will be open to a dialogue if Co formally reaches out, but any conversation must happen within the framework of the ongoing criminal proceedings.

“Of course, we take it seriously. If someone wants to talk, we will speak with them,” he said, pointing out that Co remains the subject of active arrest warrants and police tracker operations.

Co, a former Ako Bicol Partylist Representative and ex-chair of the House Appropriations Committee, has been linked to the multibillion-peso flood control scam.

The Sandiganbayan issued arrest warrants against him and at least 15 co-accused in November 2025 over allegedly anomalous flood control and road dike projects in Oriental Mindoro and other areas. The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group confirmed receipt of the warrants, while the DILG and police deployed teams to track down Co and his co-defendants.

While evading arrest, Co has positioned himself as a whistleblower, posting videos claiming that as much as P56 billion in kickbacks from DPWH projects flowed through him to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former Speaker Martin Romualdez between 2022 and 2025.

He also alleged personally delivering P1 billion in cash to a mansion on Tamarind Road in Forbes Park. These explosive allegations fueled Senate inquiries and public debate but remain untested in court and are strongly denied by those implicated.

Against this backdrop, Co’s reported “feelers” raise the possibility that he may be exploring his options with authorities — whether to negotiate, clarify his claims, or eventually surface. For now, officials say they are still waiting for a concrete, verifiable approach from Co.