SENATE President Vicente Sotto III said international cooperation will play a crucial role as Philippine authorities pursue fugitives involved in the flood control scam, including former Ako Bicol Party-list representative Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co. Sotto made the remark following the seizure of luxury vehicles allegedly owned by Co, who authorities suspect may have already fled abroad. ​”There are many methods that can be used. There are international linkages. International linkages are important when it comes to that,” he said in an interview on Thursday. ​Sotto cited past cases in which suspects committed crimes in one country but were later located and apprehended through cross-border coordination among law enforcement agencies. ​”No matter where they hide, we will really search. Because of our international linkages, we will search, we will catch, and we will hold them accountable. It won’t last long,” he said. ​Sotto said fugitives face practical and psychological difficulties, stressing that life on the run is neither stable nor sustainable. “Imagine the position of a person who’s trying to hide. Is he happy? Will he be able to use what he stole?” ​Sotto underscored that arrests and detention must be grounded in evidence and proper legal procedures. ​”But in our democracy, we really need prima facie evidence, the possibility of conviction and a case to be filed,” he said. ​He acknowledged that building airtight cases takes time, especially when suspects are not caught in the act. Immediate detention, he said, is generally possible only in cases of in flagrante delicto, while other cases require thorough investigation and the filing of formal charges. ​”That’s our problem. It takes a long time. It can’t be instant unless they are caught in the act,” Sotto said.