THE Philippine government may invoke a 2003 anti-corruption convention of the United Nations to locate and arrest former Ako-Bicol party list representative Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co, who was earlier declared “fugitive from justice” by the Sandiganbayan.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee that leads the investigation on the irregularities in the implementation of flood control projects, said the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), which was adopted in 2003 and ratified by the Philippine Senate in 2006, is a legally binding treaty that provides a framework for international cooperation against corruption.
He said on Saturday, December 13, 2025, that the Ombudsman, Department of Justice, and Department of Foreign Affairs can study this option in seeking the help of other signatories to the convention, adding this will complement the Philippines' request to the International Police Organization (Interpol) to issue a red notice against Co, whose passport had been canceled.
“One option the Philippine government may explore is to tap the UNCAC, where we are a signatory. Imagine, 192 countries signed the convention. If we tap the resources of 191 other countries, you can imagine how our efforts to locate and arrest Co will be easier,” he said in a radio interview.
Lacson noted that UNCAC’s article 38 mandates cooperation between state parties in investigating and prosecuting criminal offenses.
Co, who is in the center of the flood control anomalies, has a standing arrest warrant along with 15 Department of Public Works and Highways officials and Sunwest Corporation board members issued by the Sandiganbayan over the irregularities in the implementation of a P289-million road dike project in Oriental Mindoro.
Sunwest Corporation, which was co-founded by Co, is among the top 15 construction firms that bagged 20 percent or P100 billion worth of flood control projects in the country from 2022 to 2025.
Co flew to the United States in July for a medical treatment and has since refused to come back home amid the government investigations on flood control anomalies, claiming the imminent threats against his and his family’s lives.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Co is believed to be using a Portuguese passport in his hiding.
However, DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona said they have yet to receive any information, particularly from the Philippine embassy in Portugal, about Co’s whereabouts. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)