The Marcos administration is trying to close the exit route. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed government agencies to initiate formal steps with Portugal in a bid to secure the return of resigned former lawmaker Elizaldy โZaldyโ Co, who authorities have linked to alleged large-scale corruption in DPWH-related flood control projects and who has been reported to be in Portugalโa country the Philippines does not have an extradition treaty with.
At a January 13 press briefing, DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the government will pursue the matter on two tracks: move to establish an extradition arrangement while simultaneously tapping Interpol to request Coโs repatriation if he is indeed in Portugal. Remulla also repeated local authoritiesโ theory that Co may hold a Portuguese passport, a detail that complicates enforcement and raises the stakes for inter-government coordination.
Remulla described the move as unprecedented on the Philippine sideโeffectively attempting to pursue extradition cooperation with a non-treaty partner, while using international police channels to locate and return a wanted individual. Separate reporting has also noted Remulla later clarified they were not necessarily insisting on a full extradition treaty as the only routeโsuggesting the government is exploring whatever legal mechanism can realistically produce custody, including deportation-style processes depending on Portugalโs laws and Coโs status.
Co left the country before the flood control controversy exploded into national headlines, with authorities alleging billions of pesos were funneled through questionable or bogus projectsโan infrastructure scandal that has triggered criminal cases, arrests, and international tracking discussions. Co has also been in public view through a video circulated while he was abroad in which he acknowledged the insertion of โฑ100 billion in the 2025 budget, a claim now folded into a wider political and investigative storm. Bottom line, Knock-Out style: if the state is serious about accountability, it has to prove it can reach even the powerfulโespecially when theyโve already boarded the flight out.
Image from Rep. Zaldy Co FB