The Manila Times
SEVERAL members of Congress and an opposition group welcomed the arrest of former congressman Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co in Prague, Czech Republic. In a Messenger chat with The Manila Times late Thursday night, Trillion Pesos March organizer and Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Kiko Aquino Dee considered Co’s arrest as a positive development. “My hope is that the [Marcos] administration will guarantee his (Co) safety once he is turned over to their custody so he can shed light on the flood control scam, including the President’s possible involvement in it,” Dee said. He added that former speaker Martin Romualdez should be the next one to be charged. “I think filing charges against Martin Romualdez would be a strong signal that the government is not shielding allies, even the President’s family members, from accountability,” Dee said. Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima said the government should fast-track Co’s deportation from the Czech Republic. “He should face the cases against him, swear to his allegations in the proper forum and disclose in investigations everything he knows, including any evidence he has regarding the anomalous flood control projects,” de Lima said in a Facebook post in Filipino on Friday. “Let us conduct the investigations into the allegations involving him simultaneously. Because, as with impeachment, the search for the truth should not be put on hold until all the corrupt are held accountable,” she said. The Akbayan Party-list said the arrest of Co “is an important step toward accountability. At a time when public trust is already fragile, developments like this show that no one should be beyond the reach of the law.” In a video, lawyer and former election commissioner Rowena Guanzon said Co could now testify against Romualdez and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Former party-list representative Mike Defensor said the government should protect Co, saying his safety is also the “safety of the truth.” “If he is silenced, the evidence that would expose widespread corruption in the country will be affected as well,” Defensor wrote on Friday. Sen. JV Ejercito on Friday said Co could shed light on what he described as “the biggest corruption scandal ever in Philippine history.” “This is a very welcome development so that he may impart knowledge about the biggest corruption scandal ever in Philippine history,” Ejercito said. The arrest comes as the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, chaired by Panfilo Lacson, prepares to expand its inquiry into the multibillion-peso flood control controversy. Lacson said Co could be invited to testify in upcoming Senate hearings, together with whistleblowers and former soldiers who claimed they delivered as much as P805 billion in alleged kickbacks for infrastructure projects. Co, the former chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, has been tagged by some resource persons as influencing budget allocations for flood control projects implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways. Lacson has stressed the importance of confronting all key figures in a single hearing to test the consistency of their testimonies. He said this would help determine “who is truthful, who is telling half-truths and who is lying.” Ejercito and other lawmakers see Co’s return as a turning point in the investigation, potentially unlocking crucial details about the alleged misuse of public funds and identifying those responsible. On Friday, Lacson announced that the Blue Ribbon Committee plans to invite or summon Co at the earliest possible opportunity. But Co’s attendance will be subject to approval by the Sandiganbayan, which issued a warrant of arrest for him.
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