The government missed a crucial chance to secure former lawmaker Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co and must now move faster to bring him back to the country, Senate President Pro Tempore and Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said on Tuesday.
Lacson said authorities have no one to blame but themselves after failing to act immediately despite being informed that Co had been apprehended by Czech authorities.
“Simply put, it was a lost opportunity and our government has nobody to blame except itself. Failing to act with dispatch after having been timely informed of ex-Cong. Zaldy Co’s apprehension by the Czech authorities now puts the government in an embarrassing situation,” he said.
He added that government agencies must now exert greater effort to correct the lapse and secure Co’s return.
“Government must now exert extra effort and work double time to bring him back not only to redeem itself from this lapse but to show its sincerity and seriousness in bringing Co and his co-conspirators to justice,” he said.
Department of Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida earlier confirmed that Co is no longer under Czech custody after being held for immigration violations.
Vida said Co was released after being accosted on April 16 and is now free somewhere in Europe.
Lacson earlier said he intends to invite Co to a future hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on the flood control scandal, where he has been linked to alleged irregularities.
“He has been described as the architect of the mess, by inserting and allocating funds particularly to the Department of Public Works and Highways,” Lacson said.
He added that once Co is in the Philippines and cleared by the court, he wants him to attend the hearings and face key figures involved in the investigation, including former soldiers and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
Lacson said the confrontation would help establish clarity in the allegations being examined by the committee.
Comments