Amid Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida’s declaration in Prague that it was “possible” that former Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co was no longer within the Czech Republic’s jurisdiction, critics of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are demanding that he clear the air.

It was the President who announced Co’s detention on his official Facebook page on 16 April.

He posted: “Nahuli na si Zaldy Co (Zaldy Co has been arrested). He is now detained in Prague after crossing into the Czech Republic without proper documentation and is currently in the custody of Czech authorities. We are in close coordination with the Czech government to ensure that all legal processes are followed and to arrange for his return to the Philippines at the soonest possible time.”

Now Marcos has been asked to reprise the “I am sorry” apology of a past president.

Marcos followed up his social media announcement with additional posts saying that Co was stopped at the German border after entering from Czech territory and was returned to Czech custody.

A high-level mission led by Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida is now in Prague to fetch Co, but in a briefing yesterday, he indicated the possibility that Co had left the Czech Republic.

“There’s no guarantee given on Co’s custody. We need to respect their laws,” Vida said.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesperson Harry Roque said Marcos must admit his mistake to prevent confusion regarding the status of Co.

“There are times when we make mistakes in our data. But if you made a mistake, like saying that Zaldy was arrested in Prague when that isn’t true, and now even the Secretary of Justice himself is saying that no arrest happened, then the proper thing to do is admit the mistake and promise to do better next time by fact-checking before making announcements,” Roque said.

“Instead, what his mouthpieces are doing is trying to get away with it. They say they never said Zaldy was arrested. But what about the President’s Facebook page? It clearly says ‘arrested,’ ‘in custody,’ yet none of it is true,” he added.

“We are all human, even the President can make mistakes. So if you make one, admit it, apologize, and promise the public that next time, you will ensure proper fact-checking,” said the former official who is somewhere in Europe fleeing what he claimed was political persecution in the Philippines.

“If you keep trying to escape accountability, it only irritates the public. It makes it seem like you are deliberately spreading fake news,” he said.

Bad melodies

Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice said the administration was strumming the wrong keys in running after Co, who is a crucial personality, “because he was part of the (preparations of) the 2023 and 2025 national budgets. And that is where the trillion-peso diversions, insertions, and amendments began.”

“As chairperson of the House Appropriations Committee, Co signed the Bicameral report, the small committee report, and the General Appropriations Act. So he is someone who really knows, so he knows,” Erice said.

“Including, of course, the former Senate president, right? So they are the ones who know. But they are all silent, even the President. I think even President Marcos is really downplaying this investigation,” he added.

“Aside from Zaldy Co, there are many persons involved, including his Cabinet secretaries,” Erice said.

Meetings in Prague

Meanwhile, Vida said meetings with Czech officials, including his counterpart in the Ministry of Justice, were being arranged to verify information about Co’s detention and to find ways to bring him home if he’s still in that country.

“It’s being arranged and finalized,” he said, adding that the Philippine embassy is involved in setting up the meetings.

He said the Philippines will respect the Czech and European Union (EU) processes in handling the case.

“We respect the process. We don’t want to preempt any decision by the Czech Republic, the EU, or any other authority. This is in recognition of their having their own system,” Vida said.

Asked about Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla’s assertion that Co would be repatriated in three weeks, Vida said, “I don’t want to give that message to the Czech authorities that there’s a deadline being imposed on them. We respect their system. We respect their processes.”

Department of Justice spokesperson Polo Martinez said Czech authorities did not technically arrest Co, but his liberty was “restrained” due to a violation of immigration regulations.