BBM: Zaldy Co in Portugal

NEW YORK — Fugitive ex-lawmaker Zaldy Co is in Portugal, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed to reporters on Tuesday (NY time).

In a press conference at The Pierre Hotel here, the President said it would not be easy to bring Co home.

“You cannot bring him home because that’s just not the way it works. We have to ask for the assistance of the country he is in, which presently is Portugal,” he said.

He said the Philippine government has initiated a request for a red notice with Interpol, while coordinating with the Portuguese to send Co back to the country.

“That’s the process. You don’t send your own police to go and pick him up, because the police have no jurisdiction in another country. So they cannot arrest anyone. It will have to be with the assistance of the hosting country,” he said.

Co is the subject of a manhunt by Philippine authorities over graft and malversation charges related to an alleged P289.4-million anomalous road dike project in Oriental Mindoro.

The former lawmaker is deemed a fugitive after repeatedly failing to appear in court and fleeing the country, amid the allegations linking him to corruption in flood control projects.

ICI’s fate

Meanwhile, President Marcos said the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) is still consolidating the results of its investigation into the multibillion-peso flood control corruption controversy.

“Well, right now the ICI is collating all its findings, and they are also writing their final report. I think, maybe, it’s already done. But, essentially, the ICI has decided that much of their work has already been done,” he told reporters.

He said the next part of the process is sending the information to the Department of Justice and the Ombudsman, depending on which is the appropriate body.

“So we are there now. What will happen afterwards is, let us see what else they can do, but for now, their brief has already been fulfilled,” the President said.

The ICI was established by Executive Order No. 94 as an ad hoc body to investigate corruption in flood control and public works.

Several bills, including House Bill 4453 and 5699, and Senate Bill 1512, have been proposed to formalize this body into a permanent, independent commission with expanded subpoena and prosecution powers to combat anomalies in infrastructure.