NBI: No record of flight with Zaldy Co as claimed by ex-Marine

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reported that air taxi flight logs show no record of former lawmaker Zaldy Co and a former Marine making a trip to deliver cash to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s residence in Ilocos Norte.

According to a “24 Oras” report on Thursday, the allegation came from an affidavit by 18 former Marines linked to kickbacks allegedly from anomalous government projects.

Sgt. Belnard Tube claimed that Co included him on a trip to Ilocos Norte to deliver five suitcases of cash to the President. The pair reportedly flew on an aircraft registered as an air taxi.

However, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the air taxi’s flight logs from 2023 to 2025 show no record of a trip involving both Co and Tube.

“We issued a subpoena duces tecum to the air taxi, and they responded with a board resolution and notarized documents covering 2023 to 2025, confirming there is no record of Sgt. Tube and Zaldy Co traveling together on any flight. It’s very clear,” Matibag said.

A subpoena duces tecum is derived from the Latin legal term that literally means “bring with you”.

In modern legal usage, it refers to a subpoena ordering someone to produce documents, records, or evidence for a court or investigation.

GMA Integrated News is seeking a comment from Sgt. Tube regarding the matter.—Mariel Celine Serquiña/MCG, GMA Integrated News