Two days after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reported the arrest of former Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co on social media posts on the evening of 16 April, the government has not presented any visual proof of the incident.
The lack of proof of Co’s arrest in Prague, Czech Republic, fueled suspicions that Marcos was misled.
The President posted the news simultaneously on his official Facebook and X accounts.
All the reports of Co being taken into custody in Prague stemmed from statements made by government officials, including President Marcos, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, and the mouthpieces in the Presidential Communications Office.
No images or footage of Co in Czech immigration custody, at the border stop, or during the visit by Philippine embassy officials have been made available by either the Philippine or Czech governments.
The Czech police and the Ministry of the Interior have also declined to comment on the case.
Their only statement was that they were “aware of the Filipino situation” but referred inquiries to higher officials, with no statement, confirmation, or photos issued.
While local news coverage has been extensive, only stock or file photos of Co from years ago were used.
No arrest footage, detention facility images, or border-stop video has emerged.
Unverified report
Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque fueled further skepticism by citing the lack of proof independent of the Marcos announcement and questioning how the story spread without verification.
Philippine officials in the Czech Republic, however, said they have visited Co and are coordinating his deportation, but they have not released any visual proof of his current status.
Roque went so far as to say on Saturday that Co has not been arrested, and thus his immediate return to the country cannot be assumed.
The Marcos narrative has also changed, now claiming that German authorities had denied Co entry into the country.
“Our coordination with Czech authorities continues. The latest information confirms that Zaldy Co was stopped at the German border after entering from the Czech Republic. He was denied entry and returned to Czech authorities, where he remains in custody,” Marcos said.
Co’s passport had been canceled by the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court in December 2025, removing the legal basis for his remaining in another country.
Co was linked to a major corruption scandal involving flood control projects in Oriental Mindoro, with the alleged irregularities totaling P289 million.
He has also been linked to the Department of Education laptop purchase program, raising questions about the pricing, bidding, and additions to the national appropriations budget during his term in Congress.
These allegations remain under investigation, and no final ruling has been made.
Sole Marcos accuser
In a video series previously released on his social media page, Co had claimed that the corruption in flood control projects originated with President Marcos.
He said that when he was chairperson of the Committee on Appropriations in the House of Representatives, the President had allegedly ordered the insertion of P100 billion in the national budget.
Another of his claims was that he personally delivered 25 percent of P100 billion, or P25 billion, to the President’s residence in Forbes Park.
The claim was corroborated in text messages between Co and the President, first made public by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste. “So we cannot dismiss this as mere hearsay or gossip, because there is corroboration,” according to Roque, who is a lawyer and an international law expert.
“What we are waiting for now is patriotism and courage from former Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin to tell the truth so we can determine whether Zaldy’s claims can indeed be corroborated,” he added.
Roque also cited the 18 ex-Marines whom lawyer Levi Baligod presented as having been instructed by Co to deliver large sums of money to government officials.
Roque said repatriation is not automatic even with Co’s arrest, particularly since the country does not have an extradition treaty with the Czech Republic.
The process in the Czech Republic is that “while a person can be detained for up to a year, on average it takes about 90 days before deportation. The important thing is that within the first seven days of detention, Czech authorities are required to inform Zaldy that he has the right to apply for asylum,” Roque said.
That is their obligation — to inform anyone detained for illegal entry of their right to seek asylum.
“While his asylum application is being processed, he will stay in an asylum center. That is not imprisonment. It is similar to the asylum center where I stayed in the Netherlands while my biometrics were being taken and I was undergoing medical examinations,” he said.
The threat he faces is not just imprisonment, but he could be silenced, tortured, or killed. “That is a strong basis for asylum,” Roque said.