A massive manhunt is underway after former Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co successfully evaded an attempt by Taguig City police to serve an arrest warrant stemming from a high-profile graft case.
The Taguig City Police, in coordination with the Southern Police District (SPD), confirmed that they have launched intensive validation and surveillance operations to locate the former legislator, who is a principal suspect in the alleged misuse of public funds intended for government flood-control projects.
The failed service took place Saturday morning when officers from the Taguig City Police Warrant and Subpoena Section arrived at Co’s known address at the Horizon Homes in Shangri-La, at the Bonifacio Global City, around 11:00 a.m.
However, security and property management personnel at the high-end residential unit informed the police that Co was not present.
According to reports from the SPD Public Information Office, the unit had been sealed and unoccupied for nearly a month, suggesting that the former lawmaker had been aware of the impending warrant and relocated.
The warrant was issued by the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, which found probable cause to charge Co with violating Section 3 of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019). Co, a former chairman of the House appropriations committee, is among a group of individuals implicated in what authorities have termed a widespread anticorruption investigation into infrastructure spending anomalies.
The enforcement effort follows a public announcement by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. concerning the issuance of arrest warrants against Co and 15 others over the alleged irregularities.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla previously disclosed that the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) had issued a Blue Notice for Co two months prior, allowing member countries to share information on his location, underscoring the severity and scope of the search.
Police stated that monitoring efforts are ongoing to ensure the prompt apprehension and service of the warrant against the accused.