November 13, 2025 | 4:11pm
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government will “immediately” cancel the passport of former lawmaker Zaldy Co once formal cases are filed against him in connection with the flood control corruption scandal.
Co, a central figure in the alleged kickback scheme, has been outside the country for several months. He left before the scandal erupted and is currently beyond the reach of investigators.
At a press conference on Thursday, November 13, Marcos was asked why Co’s passport remains active despite his implication in the corruption probe.
Marcos reiterated the Department of Foreign Affairs’ position that cancellation requires legal grounds.
“I think that’s best directed at the lawyer because it’s a legal answer. And the legal answer is because a case has not been filed yet, therefore the request for the cancellation of his passport cannot yet be made,” he said.
“However, when that time comes, we will immediately cancel his passport,” he added.
The Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) has transmitted its findings to the Office of the Ombudsman, but the Ombudsman must still file cases before the Sandiganbayan for passport cancellation to proceed.
Co has been tagged for allegedly inserting large allocations into the national budget in exchange for kickbacks. At the same time, his firm Sunwest Inc. has been linked to substandard or non-existent flood control projects. Investigators believe his roles overlapped, allowing him to use his position as lawmaker to secure government contracts.
Some officials have described Co as the possible mastermind behind the alleged scheme, although Marcos declined to comment on potential charges.
“Let the courts do their work. Let the judges do their work,” he said.
How about Romualdez?
Former House Speaker and current Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, cousin to the president, has also been implicated in the flood control mess. However, he was not on the list of the ICI.
Marcos said the only evidence against so far Romualdez were testimonies from the Senate.
“We don’t file cases for optics. We file cases to put people in jail or to make people answer. I know that there are many, many suggestions of who else we should file cases against. Well, we’re fine with that. Provide us the evidence and we will file cases against them,” Marcos said.
Three people have tagged Romualdez to the corruption mess so far: the Discaya couple and Co’s alleged security aide Orly Guteza.
Guteza’s affidavit, however, has since been questioned after allegations that the lawyer who supposedly notarized it did not sign it.