Although he reportedly wants to face the allegations against him, former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co is hesitant to return to the Philippines because of alleged ‘credible and serious’ threats to his life, according to his lawyer Ruy Rondain.
Rondain said Co wanted to personally respond to the issues but could not do so at this time because of security concerns.
‘Representative Co would have wanted to be here himself to answer your questions. Unfortunately, there are credible and serious threats to his life,’ Rondain revealed in a press conference Wednesday.
‘He has a general fear of being shot-whether by a vigilante or a political enemy he doesn’t even know,’ he said.
The lawyer also addressed questions about Co’s whereabouts, initially saying he does not know where the former lawmaker is.
‘Let me get ahead of the inevitable question: I don’t know where he is. I never asked, because it’s not relevant to his defense,’ Rondain said.
‘And frankly, I didn’t want to be in a position where I’d have to lie to anyone if I were asked that question. So no, I don’t know where he is,’ he told reporters.
Later, during the same press conference, however, Rondain disclosed that the last information he received about Co’s whereabouts was that he was in Boston, sometime between September and October, for medical reasons.
Co has been under scrutiny after his name was linked to alleged irregularities in the P289.5-million flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
In its first interim report, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) asked the Office of the Ombudsman to determine the appropriate charges to be filed against 18 public officials, including the former lawmaker.
A month later, the commission recommended the filing of criminal and administrative cases against Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Joel Villanueva, Co and three others in connection with suspected ‘ghost’ flood control projects.
The recommendations stemmed from an alleged kickback scheme, based on sworn affidavits and corroborating evidence from former Department of Public Works and Highways officials Henry Alcantara, Brice Ericson Hernandez, and Jaypee Mendoza.