The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) on Thursday said it is seeking the assistance of its counterparts in Malaysia and Singapore, where the three air assets registered to the companies of former Ako Bicol Representative Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co have been located.
‘We are coordinating with civil aviation authorities in these countries where they went, and we are asking for them to monitor [the aircraft],’ Caap Director General Raul del Rosario told reporters.
For the remaining 10 Co-linked air assets that are still in the country, del Rosario vowed that the agency would keep track of their movements. The Caap has estimated the total value of Co’s total air assets registered to various firms at nearly P5 billion.
So far, the 10 other aircraft have been doing only ‘maintenance flights,’ he noted.
Co’s two AgustaWestland helicopters have been tracked in Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia after it left the country on Aug. 20 and Sept. 11, respectively, while a Gulfstream aircraft has been in Singapore since Aug. 16, based on Caap’s monitoring.
Del Rosario confirmed that the passenger manifest showed that Co did not use the three aircraft to transport himself overseas. The flight plan, however, only showed a one-way flight, he noted.
‘The passenger manifest is included whenever an exit clearance is requested. So we have a list and Zaldy Co is not there,’ he said.
Before stepping down as party-list representative, Co left for abroad to seek medical treatment in the United States for an undisclosed condition.
Del Rosario noted that one way that Philippine authorities could recover Co’s air assets is through a freeze order issued by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and a court-ordered forfeiture order.
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has tagged Co in the corruption scheme that gave lawmakers, who served as project proponents in some flood control projects, kickbacks of as much as 25 to 30 percent.
The fact-finding body had recommended to the Office of the Ombudsman that Co, along with Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, be charged with the non-bailable offense of plunder as well as bribery, indirect bribery, and corruption of public officials.
It also asked the Ombudsman to file graft and malversation of public funds charges against Co over an anomalous flood control project in Oriental Mindoro.