JANUARY 22, 2026 — So here we are again, mga kababayan, staring at another headline that feels more like a punchline. Former lawmaker Zaldy Co, accused of siphoning off millions from flood control projects, is now believed to be tucked away inside a gated community in Lisbon, Portugal. 

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla himself confirmed, “Nasa Portugal siya. We're pretty certain nasa Lisbon siya. Isang gated community. Halos hindi lumalabas ng bahay.” 

(He’s in Portugal. We’re pretty certain he’s in Lisbon. A gated community. He hardly leaves the house.)

Sounds like a comfortable exile, doesn’t it? While ordinary Filipinos wrestle with inflation, traffic, and floods, Co allegedly lounges behind European gates, shielded by the lack of an extradition treaty and a Portuguese passport. Surveillance operatives may know where he is, but getting inside that fortress is another story.

Remulla insists the government is tightening the screws. 

“Lahat ng assets niya, malapit na ma-seize. Lahat ng pera niya rito, on hold. Lahat ng properties niya, lahat ng negosyo niya, nakukuha na ng gobyerno,” he insists. 

(All his assets are close to being seized. All his money here is on hold. All his properties, all his businesses, are being taken by the government.) 

But does freezing assets in the Philippines matter if you’re sipping espresso in Lisbon?

This saga isn’t just about one man but about the system that allows powerful figures to slip away, passports in hand, while justice drags its feet. 

What does it say about accountability when billions allegedly stolen can buy, not just luxury, but possibly freedom? And what does it say about us, the public, if we shrug and move on?

The Ombudsman has filed charges. Arrest warrants are out. Yet Co denies everything. Will this end with justice served, or another chapter in the long book of impunity?

Money can buy mansions, passports, and gated communities — but it should never buy freedom from accountability. 

How many more Zaldy Cos will it take before we admit that in the Philippines, crime doesn’t just pay — it buys mansions abroad? And if stolen billions can buy a new life in Lisbon, what does that say about the price tag of our justice system?

(Photo courtesy of Rep. Zaldy Co | Facebook)