By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
With President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s earlier announcement about the reported apprehension of former Ako Bicol partylist Representative Zaldy Co continuing to stir up public discussion in the mainstream media, Malacañang has issued important clarifications to settle the discrepancies once and for all.
During a Palace briefing on Monday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro dispelled claims that the President’s issued updates about Co were prematurely released ahead of having concrete information to back them up.
“Hindi po nanggaling sa Pangulo mismo ang salitang aresto, pero hindi rin po ikinakaila ng SOJ that the movements of Zaldy Co were restrained to a certain extent,” Castro clarified.
The erratum was issued after the government honored the Czech Republic’s request for confidentiality in handling the case of the fugitive, which includes refraining from using the term “arrest” to cite this particular development in the quest to bring Co back to the Philippines.
Malacañang’s mouthpiece, moreover, pointed out a clear distinction between the usage of terms like “nahuli” and “inaresto”, citing that the former does not automatically result in the arrest of a particular individual and does not automatically grant the Philippines custody over the apprehension of an offender caught by foreign authorities.
Castro likewise noted that the timing of the President’s pronouncements comes at a crucial moment to ensure that Filipinos are able to immediately have information on major progress in efforts to bring back Co to the Philippines.
She then went on to reiterate President Marcos Jr.’s marching orders to the Philippine delegation sent to the Czech Republic to facilitate the deportation of the erring lawmaker back to the country: “Ang nais lamang po niya ay malaman kung ano ang estado ni Zaldy Co doon at ano pa ang maaaring malaman at magawa para maibalik si Zaldy Co dito sa Pilipinas.”
Castro further declined to give further operational details on Co’s status, saying such matters should come from Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Fredderick Vida to avoid miscommunication and to honor the Czech Republic’s confidentiality request. (with report from Clay Pardilla | PTV News)
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