Sandiganbayan declares Zaldy Co as 'fugitive from justice'

The Sandiganbayan has declared former House appropriations panel chairperson and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co as a "fugitive from justice" and ordered the cancellation of his Philippine passport by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

In a December 10 resolution, the anti-graft court said that the Ombudsman prosecutors established a pattern of non-compliance and avoidance that demonstrates an intent to evade prosecution on the part of Co.

Co and 16 others are facing malversation and graft charges before the Sandiganabayan over the P289 million substandard road dike project in Oriental Mindoro.

“Accused Co resigned instead of complying with the House of Representatives' order to return to the country; he refused to comply with subpoenas from the ICI and he did not file a counter-affidavit with the Office of the Ombudsman," the Sandiganbayan said.

“It must be emphasized that the accused left the country at the time when investigations into alleged corruption in flood control projects were active and when formal charges against him were imminent,” the Sandiganbayan added.

Cancelation of passport

Likewise, the anti-graft court said that Co's strategically timed flight also provides sufficient ground for the “reasonable inference that his action constituted a deliberate attempt to flee from justice.”

“From the foregoing, the court finds that the factual circumstances presented warrant the cancellation of accused Co's passport. This measure is deemed both appropriate and necessary to facilitate the enforcement of the duly issued warrant of arrest and mandate the accused's surrender to the jurisdiction of the court,” the Sandiganbayan said.

In a separate December 10 Resolution, the Sandiganbayan also ordered the cancellation of passports of Aderma Angelie Alcazar, Cesar Buenaventura and Noel Cao, the Directors of Sunwest Inc. which is the contractor of P289 million substandard road dike project in Oriental Mindoro, for the same reason that they intent to evade criminal charges against them.

“Given the facts presented - a judicially issued warrant of arrest and HDO (Hold Departure Order), extensive publicity, and the failure of diligent efforts to serve warrants because the accused cannot be located and their whereabouts remain unknown - accused's actions of remaining at-large strongly suggest that they are actively avoiding the court's jurisdiction to prevent arrest and prosecution. By consciously choosing to remain at large and not presenting themselves to the authorities, accused Alcazar, Buenaventura and Cao are evading the legal process,” the Sandiganbayan said.

“The prosecution having sufficiently established grounds to declare accused Alcazar, Buenaventura and Cao fugitives from justice, the cancellation of their passports under the provisions of R.A. No. 11983 is warranted. Further, considering that said accused are now considered fugitives from justice, the Department of Foreign Affairs is ordered to immediately cancel the Philippine Passport of accused Aderma Angelie D. Alcazar, Cesar Z. Buenaventura, and Noel Y. Cao,” it added.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. earlier announced that Co's passport has already been canceled.

Co, who went abroad for medical reasons, has yet to return to the country amid the ongoing investigation into budget insertions and flood control projects. He has since maintained innocence against allegations thrown against him.

In a statement, the DFA said the process of canceling Co's passport was completed on Wednesday afternoon.

"According to the resolution of the Sandiganbayan today, the 10th of December 2025, and the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Department of Foreign Affairs has cancelled the passport of former Ako Bikol Partylist Representative Elizaldy Salcedo Co," the DFA said. —VAL, GMA Integrated News