Search for Zaldy Co continues despite archived case, says Palace

Former Ako Bicol party-list representative Elizaldy Co (Official Facebook page of Zaldy Co)

VANCOUVER — Malacañang on Friday (Canada time) said efforts to locate fugitive former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co would continue despite the archiving of his case, stressing that law enforcement agencies remain duty-bound to arrest him.

In an interview at the Sutton Place Hotel, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said authorities were not neglecting their duty to ensure that Co faces the allegations against him.

“The obligation to search for Zaldy Co is not being neglected because, as has been said, he is a very important witness and it is also important for him to answer the allegations against him,” Castro told reporters in Filipino.

Castro clarified that the archiving of Co’s case did not mean it had been dismissed or permanently closed, noting that placing it in inactive status when an accused is not yet available for trial is a standard procedure.

She said the case would be reactivated once Co is arrested and placed under the court’s jurisdiction.

“Let us remember that he himself is facing charges and has a pending warrant of arrest,” she said in Filipino. “Once Zaldy Co is arrested, the case will be revived and become active.”

Castro stressed that the legal process remains in effect despite the temporary suspension of proceedings.

She said the government remained committed to ensuring accountability regardless of delays caused by the absence or nonappearance of the accused.

“When we say a case is archived, it simply means it is removed from the active cases scheduled for hearing and placed under archived status,” Castro said in Filipino.

“So even if he has been away from the Philippines for a long time, once he is arrested, the case will proceed,” she added.

The Sandiganbayan Seventh Division has ordered the archiving of Co’s case pending the availability of the accused.

In November 2025, the Office of the Ombudsman filed a graft case against Co over the allegedly anomalous P289-million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.

Co served as chairperson of the House appropriations committee during the finalization of the 2025 national budget. /dm