By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the government knows the whereabouts of former lawmaker Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co in France and that his upcoming trip there is intended to facilitate Co’s return to the Philippines.
Remulla made the disclosure Thursday after a Senate budget hearing involving the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Asked about his planned trip to France, Remulla identified Co as the main focus of the visit.
“Zaldy Co is the agenda. We know where he is. We know the address. We know his house. [The trip] is to get him back here,” Remulla told reporters.
Co is believed to be seeking asylum in France. He has been facing criminal charges since November 2025 in connection with a flood control project in Oriental Mindoro, with an arrest warrant subsequently issued against him.
Remulla had earlier said his France trip would include follow-up discussions with the International Criminal Police Organization, or Interpol, concerning the Philippine government’s request for a red notice against the former congressman.
A red notice is a request to law enforcement agencies in member countries to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending legal proceedings, although it is not itself an international arrest warrant.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, Jonvic Remulla’s brother, has likewise said he would travel to France in connection with efforts to locate Co.
Jonvic Remulla’s latest statement puts Co’s whereabouts and possible return to the Philippines at the center of the government’s planned France mission.
ia/xf
