By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
In response to mounting public sentiments on the flood control mess, Malacañang said that it is closely working with the international community to track down the whereabouts of former Ako-Bicol partylist Representative Elizaldy Co, who was reportedly hiding in Portugal as of press time.
At a briefing Tuesday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro shared that all concerned government agencies are acting upon the mandate of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to apprehend and bring Co back to the Philippines.
Castro, moreover, responded to the contents of a letter that the embattled lawmaker addressed to the President, which allegedly shines a spotlight on former Senate President Francis Escudero’s involvement in alleged anomalies in the 2025 national budget.
She told the media, deferring further remarks on the matter to the Senate official in question, “Mas maganda po na maitanong kung ito ay may katotohanan considering the fact that Zaldy Co is still not here in the country. He’s not ready to face the Filipino people here in the country.”
Castro added, noting that the Palace mulls placing a bounty on Co to expedite his arrest, “Hindi pa nga po natin alam kung ito’y natanggap ng Pangulo, dahil ‘di po namin napag-uusapan ang sulat na ito.”
The Palace mouthpiece likewise encouraged citizen participation in the search for other fugitives, which goes beyond those involved in ‘ghost’ and anomalous flood control projects to include personalities behind the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) controversy.
She concluded in her remarks, “Kung sinuman din po sa mga kababayan po natin ang makakakita kay Cassandra Ong, ipagbigay alam din po agad sa ating law enforcement agencies para po magampanan din po ang pagseserve ng warrant of arrest sa kanya.”
jpv
