JANUARY 14, 2026 — How many luxury cars does one man need? That’s the question echoing across the country after the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) confirmed the seizure of vehicles linked to former Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co. The numbers are staggering: eight seized cars, 15 identified, and now a lawyer claiming there are 34 in total. Thirty-four. Imagine the wealth required to casually own a fleet that could rival a small dealership.

ICI special adviser Rodolfo Azurin was quick to deny accusations that authorities forcibly took the keys. 

"Unang una, 'pag titignan mo, hindi kami ang kumuha ng susi," he said. 

(First of all, if you look at it, we were not the ones who took the keys.) 

He even joked about the absurdity of one person holding 34 keys at once. But the bigger absurdity here is the sheer scale of wealth tied to a public servant who once held the nation’s purse strings.

The BOC insists everything was “above board.” Deputy Chief of Staff Chris Noel Bendijo stressed that body cameras recorded the entire operation and that lawyers signed off on the warrants. 

"So clearly, our implementation of the search warrant was above board," he said. 

The price of corruption

Let’s not forget — Co isn’t just any politician. He was the appropriations chair in the 19th Congress, the man who prepared the national budget during President Bongbong Marcos’ first three years. And now, he’s facing graft charges tied to anomalous flood control projects. 

The optics are damning: while ordinary Filipinos struggle with inflation, traffic, and flooding, one man allegedly amassed dozens of luxury cars and properties. Isn’t this the very picture of corruption we’ve grown tired of?

The lawyer’s claim of 34 cars raises even more questions. If true, what does this say about the system that allowed such unchecked accumulation of wealth? How many more hidden assets are out there, waiting to be exposed? And more importantly, how long will Filipinos tolerate leaders who treat public office as a gateway to unimaginable riches?

This is a glaring gap between the powerful and the people they’re supposed to serve. Every seized vehicle is a symbol of how corruption robs the nation — not just in pesos, but in dignity.

Corruption thrives when public outrage fades, so let’s keep the fire burning. Because tell me — how many more Zaldy Cos will it take before Filipinos finally demand real accountability?

(Image: Philippine News Agency)