Ombudsman: Zaldy Co must return billions to talk with government

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Monday said he told emissaries supposedly of former Ako Bicol Party-List Representative Zaldy Co that he must be willing to return billions of pesos to the country’s coffers if he was serious about talking with the government.

“I actually gave them a figure to chew on if they want to talk,” Remulla said in an interview.

“Billions, of course,” he later added.

Remulla said he told them that restitution must be part of the conversation.

“Sabi ko naman sa kanila, dapat ‘yan ang una nating isama sa usapan. Ano ‘yun, makikipag usap ka, wala kang kasalanan, tapos wala kang ibibigay, wala kang isosoli,” Remulla  said.

(I told them that should be the first thing we talk about. What is that? You will talk and claim that you have not done anything wrong, and then you will return nothing?)

“Ano pag uusapan natin? Wala kayong paguusapan, ano pa paguusapan niyo kung wala kayo isosoli?” he added.

(What will we talk about? We will have nothing to talk about if they are not willing to restitute.)

Co, who went abroad for medical reasons in 2025, has yet to return to the country amid the malversation and graft charges filed against him over the P289 million substandard road dike project in Oriental Mindoro.

The Sandiganbayan has declared the former official a “fugitive from justice” and issued an arrest warrant against him.

Based on the apostille attached to his petition, Co was in Stockholm, Sweden on January 15. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the government will coordinate with Swedish authorities.

According to Remulla, there is a chance that Co’s sentence would be reduced should he return money to the government. He also did not close the door on whether Co may become a state witness.

Meanwhile, he said that Co’s camp did not ask for any conditions.

“Wala namang kondisyon. Sabi ko nga, ako makikipag usap ako kung kinakailangan,” he said.

(There’s no condition. As I said, I am willing to talk if needed.)

When asked how the emissaries reached out, Remulla said he has a friend who was connected to priests.

“Meron daw kaibigan si Zaldy Co na pari na kasama sa kakausapin namin... He was a seminarian, so ‘yung classmate niya na naging pari, ‘yun ang nag broach ng idea,” 

(Zaldy Co has a friend who is a priest… He was a seminarian, so his classmate became a pries,t and he broached the idea.) –NB, GMA Integrated News