MANILA — The camp of former lawmaker Zaldy Co pushed back sharply on Wednesday against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s claim that they attempted to “blackmail” the Palace in a bid to stop the cancellation of Co’s passport.
In a statement, Co’s legal counsel Ruy Rondain categorically rejected the President’s allegation, stressing that no such negotiation ever took place.
“This is completely untrue,” Rondain said. “I have not spoken with anyone from the government to negotiate the stoppage of the videos for the passport. As I have always maintained, I have no control over the release of the videos.”
Marcos earlier alleged that Co’s camp had offered to halt the release of videos accusing top government officials of corruption in the 2025 national budget, supposedly in exchange for preserving Co’s travel document.
“Zaldy Co’s lawyer approached us and attempted to blackmail us, saying that if we do not cancel his passport, he will [not] stop releasing his videos,” Marcos said in a recorded statement.
“I do not negotiate with criminals. Even if you release all your videos full of lies meant to destabilize the government, I want you to know, Zaldy, your passport will still be canceled. You will not escape justice,” he added.
As of Wednesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it had yet to receive a court order authorizing the cancellation of Co’s passport. If invalidated, Co would lose the ability to travel abroad and could face detention or deportation.
Co, who remains in hiding while releasing videos on social media, has accused Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and several officials of interference in government investigations and of benefiting from alleged budget “insertions.” The Palace has repeatedly dismissed the accusations as baseless.
The former lawmaker also continues to deny involvement in the multi-billion-peso flood control corruption scheme for which an arrest warrant has been issued./PN
