Zaldy Co

Zaldy Co, a Filipino businessman and former member of the House of Representatives, has been publicly reported to be involved in multiple scandals and legal issues related to corruption and financial misconduct. In 2025, he was implicated in a flood control projects scandal, which led to allegations of graft and malversation of public funds. He resigned from his congressional seat in September 2025 amid these allegations and was subsequently charged with two counts of graft and malversation (Wikipedia). In November 2025, Co released a video statement admitting to facilitating large budget insertions in the 2025 Philippine national budget, amounting to around ₱100 billion (approximately US$1.693 billion). He claimed these insertions, primarily for flood control projects, were instructed by President Bongbong Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. This revelation added a layer of controversy, suggesting possible involvement of high-level officials in budget manipulations (Wikipedia). Co's legal status as of April 2026 is that he is a fugitive, having gone to the United States citing medical treatment but is wanted by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) since November 21, 2025. He was detained by Czech authorities in Prague after crossing into the country without proper documentation, and Philippine officials have canceled his passport and sought Interpol’s help to locate and arrest him (AP News, Wikipedia). There are no reports of convictions or court rulings against him as of this date, and he remains under investigation for alleged corruption and financial misconduct.