APRIL 21, 2026 — DOJ Acting Secretary Fredderick Vida is personally flying to Prague this week to lead a high-level Philippine team tasked with securing the return of fugitive ex-congressman Zaldy Co, who remains in Czech custody over graft and malversation charges tied to the controversial flood control projects.

The Department of Justice is now moving with urgency. Acting Secretary Fredderick A. Vida confirmed in a press briefing that he will head a government team bound for the Czech Republic to negotiate Co’s deportation. 

“I will be leaving very soon within the week,” Vida said, stressing that the mission is not symbolic but a concrete step to bring Co back to face the Sandiganbayan’s arrest order.

Vida also pushed back against rumors that Co was never arrested abroad. 

“Nais ko pabulaanan na may ibang nagsasabi pa rin, wala raw sa kostudiya ng Czech Republic ang accused na si former congressman Zaldy Co,” he said. 

(I would like to refute those who are saying that Co is not in the custody of the Czech Republic.) 

He assured the public that Co is indeed detained, though European Union privacy rules prevent the release of photos or documents.

Co, a former Ako Bicol representative, is accused of graft and non-bailable malversation of public funds in connection with anomalous flood control projects worth hundreds of millions in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. The Sandiganbayan has ordered his arrest, while several other criminal complaints are pending before the DOJ.

Can our justice system truly hold powerful figures accountable? The flood control mess is not an abstract scandal — it’s about wasted public money, substandard projects, and communities left vulnerable to floods. Every peso lost to corruption is a peso stolen from ordinary citizens who endure daily struggles with infrastructure failures.

The DOJ says it is “99 percent confident” of bringing Co home. But confidence is not enough; the public demands results. Will this mission prove that the government can pursue fugitives abroad with the same determination it shows in domestic cases? Or will this drag on, leaving us once again questioning whether justice is only for the powerless?

If Zaldy Co is finally brought back, will this be the turning point where we finally see that no politician can outrun accountability?

(Image: Rep. Zaldy Co | Facebook)