JANUARY 21, 2026 — Zaldy Co, once a powerful congressman who held the purse strings of the national budget, is now reduced to sending “feelers” to Philippine authorities. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) says Co, wanted for an anomalous flood control project in Oriental Mindoro, has reached out through intermediaries — priests he reportedly knows — hinting at a desire for dialogue. Does this sound to you like a man whose escape routes are shrinking by the day?

“Meron na siyang feelers through sa mga ibang pari na kilala niya. Not exactly [susuko], parang nagpapa-konekta, gusto ng dialogue sa amin, pero that’s not verified, parang nagsabi pa lang. Sinabi ng kaibigan ng kaibigan na pinaparating,” DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla revealed.

(He already sent feelers through some priests he knows. Not exactly surrender, more like trying to connect, wanting dialogue with us, but that’s not verified. It’s just something relayed by a friend of a friend.)

Remulla added, “Siyempre we take them seriously, ‘yung gusto makipag-dialogue. Kakausapin namin ‘yan. Pero kung bribe, ay huwag na.”

(Of course we take them seriously. If someone wants dialogue, we’ll talk to them. But if it’s a bribe, then no.)

Co, once untouchable as chair of the House appropriations panel, is now a fugitive reportedly hiding in Portugal. Word is, he may have secured citizenship through the country’s Golden Visa program — a scheme where wealthy foreigners can buy property and eventually get a passport. 

Imagine that: while ordinary Filipinos line up for hours just to renew a driver’s license, a man accused of plunder may have bought himself a European identity.

But here’s the catch. Deportation is still possible if the alleged crimes were committed before citizenship was granted. The bigger problem? The Philippines doesn’t have an extradition treaty with Portugal. That means bringing Co back won’t be simple — it could take years, if it happens at all. 

Remulla admitted talks with Sen. Ping Lacson are exploring other ways to make it happen, but treaties take time, and time is exactly what Co seems to be buying.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), meanwhile, says it has no information on these supposed feelers. Acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida stressed prosecutors will only act based on evidence formally submitted. 

Will his passport save him?

So what’s really going on here? Is Co trying to soften the ground for negotiation, or is this just another maneuver from a man who knows the walls are closing in? Every day abroad, every headline linking his name to plunder, every whisper of legal options being explored — it all adds up to pressure.

But Filipinos have seen this movie before: big names, big scandals, big promises of accountability. Yet justice always seems to crawl, while the powerful find ways to slip through cracks. So the public is left asking: Will this be another endless saga, or will the system finally prove it can corner even the most resourceful fugitives?

Zaldy Co may be feeling his world getting smaller and smaller every day, but for the people, the bigger question is whether justice can grow big enough to catch him.

Will Co’s deep pockets keep him floating above the system, or will the long arm of the law finally drag him back down to face the music?

(Image: Rep. Zaldy Co | Facebook)