Zaldy Co's whereabouts unclear as Palace distances Marcos from 'arrest' claim

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Monday, April 27, defended President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s earlier announcement that Zaldy Co had been caught in the Czech Republic, saying he never called it an actual arrest.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro told reporters at a briefing that Marcos used the Filipino word "nahuli," meaning "caught" or "stopped," when he posted on Facebook on April 16 that Co had been taken into Czech custody. She said this was not the same as the legal term of being "arrested."

"Huwag ipahid sa Pangulo ang salitang aresto dahil hindi po niya 'yan ginamit (Don't say the president used the word arrested when he did not)," Castro said.

The defense came after days of confusion over Co's actual status and whether he'd be deported to the Philippines at all. 

Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida, who flew to Prague last week to speak to authorities about retrieving Co, told reporters on Friday there was "no guarantee" the fugitive was still in the Czech Republic.

Asked directly if Co may have left, Vida was quoted in reports as saying: "Possible."

Castro on Monday did not provide any new information about Co's location. Asked about his status, she said only Vida could answer this question. 

Who exactly gave Marcos the intelligence behind the April 16 post, Castro declined to say. Asked whether anyone would be held accountable if Co had slipped away, she said she could not respond because Vida was still gathering facts.

'Not premature'

What Castro did address, at length, was why the president should not be blamed for prematurely announcing Co's arrest.

Marcos posted on April 16 that Co had been caught in Prague without proper documents and was in Czech custody. 

A day later, he said Co had been apprehended at the German border and handed back to Czech authorities. Castro said both posts were accurate. "Anong premature doon? Walang premature doon (What's premature there? It's not premature)," Castro said.

She acknowledged that the Presidential Communications Office used the word "arrest" in a press release the same day but said this was a translation of "nahuli" and not language from the president. 

The DOJ clarified last week that the term "arrest" did not apply because Co has no outstanding warrant in the Czech Republic.  

Asked why the correction took days, Castro said there was nothing for Marcos to correct. The PCO changed its wording only after DOJ spokesperson Polo Martinez flagged the issue in an interview, she said.

Castro said the government was right to inform the public as events happened.

She told reporters the Czech Republic does not use the term "arrest" for what happened to Co, and that the Philippines had to respect another country's legal terminology and processes.  

Efforts to bring Co back

Vida said Sunday he is set to meet Czech officials today to verify Co’s status and discuss legal options. He vowed the trip would not end empty-handed.

The DOJ has said deportation is the fastest route to bring Co home, but Vida said he expected to confirm Co's exact location only after the meeting.

Philippine officials also reportedly plan to invoke the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, to which both countries are signatories, as a legal basis for Co's return. An Interpol red notice has been requested but not yet issued.

Co, who chaired the House appropriations committee during Marcos' first term, was charged by the Ombudsman in November 2025 with graft and non-bailable malversation over a multi-million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro. He faces three Sandiganbayan arrest warrants. 

He has been a fugitive since July 2025, when he left the Philippines and declared his reason as medical treatment in the United States.