Malacañang has assured the public that efforts to locate and arrest former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co remain ongoing, emphasizing that the temporary archiving of his graft case by the Sandiganbayan does not signal the end of the legal proceedings against him.
The clarification came after the Sandiganbayan’s Seventh Division ordered the administrative archiving of Co’s graft case involving an allegedly anomalous flood control project, citing the inability of law enforcement agencies to serve the warrant of arrest more than six months after it was issued.
Speaking to reporters during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.‘s official visit to Vancouver, Canada, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro stressed that authorities have not abandoned the search for the former lawmaker.
According to Castro, Co remains a key figure whose testimony is considered significant, both in addressing the allegations filed against him and in shedding light on issues surrounding the ongoing investigations.
She also clarified that the Sandiganbayan’s order was purely procedural and should not be interpreted as a dismissal of the charges.
Under court rules, a case placed under archived status is temporarily removed from the active court calendar while the accused remains at large. Once Co is arrested and brought before the court, the proceedings will automatically resume, with the case returning to the active docket.
Castro further explained that the prescriptive period effectively stops running while the case is archived, ensuring that the prosecution remains valid regardless of how long the fugitive stays outside the country.
Co, who previously chaired the House Committee on Appropriations, has emerged as one of the central personalities in the government’s investigation into alleged irregularities involving multibillion-peso flood control projects.
In late 2025, he released a series of video statements accusing several high-ranking government officials, including President Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, of allegedly benefiting from questionable budget insertions and kickback schemes related to public infrastructure funding.
Separately, Co is facing graft and malversation charges in connection with an allegedly anomalous road dike project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
Records show that the former congressman left the Philippines in July 2025 using a travel authority granted for medical treatment abroad. The Sandiganbayan subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest on Nov. 21, 2025, after finding probable cause to proceed with the case.
Earlier this year, President Marcos publicly vowed to bring Co back to the country after reports surfaced that he had been detained in the Czech Republic over alleged immigration violations.
However, Malacañang later confirmed that Co was no longer in Czech custody and had reportedly sought political asylum in France.
Despite his continued absence, the Palace maintained that authorities remain committed to locating the former lawmaker and ensuring that the legal process moves forward once he is taken into custody.