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The Portuguese Telenovela: Zaldy Co, the Fugitive YouTube Star, and the Government’s Sham Pursuit

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Louis ‘Barok’ Biraogo

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The Portuguese Telenovela: Zaldy Co, the Fugitive YouTube Star, and the Government’s Sham Pursuit
Red Notices, Black Comedy, and Selective Outrage: When Justice Moves Slower Than a Flood Control Project

By Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — January 14, 2026

FELLOW citizens, behold the latest episode of our national telenovela: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in a dramatic display of closing the barn door long after the horse has not only escaped but acquired Portuguese citizenship and is now sipping espresso in Lisbon, has “instructed” (or was it suddenly downgraded to merely “part of the conversation”?) his government to chase the ghost of an extradition treaty with Portugal.

The target: former Ako Bicol party-list Representative Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co — once powerful House Appropriations chair, now fugitive, now self-proclaimed YouTube whistleblower — a man who has perfected the art of failing upwards and outwards.

This is no ordinary legal chase. This is pure Filipino absurd theater, where every character is morally bankrupt, the script is riddled with contradictions, and the only guaranteed ending is the continued betrayal of the Filipino people. Let us peel back the layers of this farce — from Malacañang’s performative urgency to Co’s carnival of deflection — and expose the rotten foundation of a system that makes such spectacles inevitable.

“Justice on Portuguese time: espresso today, warrant in 2073.”

Theatre of the Absurd: Malacañang’s Sudden “Urgency”

The government has suddenly awoken. After more than a month of silence following the cancellation of Co’s Philippine passport in December, only now has President Marcos decided to “study” the possibility of an extradition treaty with Portugal — even as Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla openly admitted there is no extradition treaty and that “a treaty will take years and years.”

Was it really an instruction, or just “part of the conversation”? In one Palace briefing, Remulla declared the President had given an “instruction.” In the next interview, he walked it back: “not a direct order… part of the conversation… being considered.”

Meanwhile, intelligence about Co’s alleged Portuguese passport is already ten years old — yet only now are they going to “verify” it? And while they strike poses of urgency — Interpol repatriation, United Nations avenues — the hard truth remains: no treaty exists, and an Interpol Red Notice is not an automatic arrest warrant. In Portugal, any action remains subject to their domestic law and EU human rights protocols.

The real question: why the sudden “bold pronouncements” now? Is this political damage control against Co’s video exposés, or a genuine pursuit of justice? If they were truly serious, why not act when he was still in the Philippines?

Dual Carnivals: The Co–Marcos Telenovela

First, the Zaldy Co circus. From “Congressman-Kleptocrat” who allegedly inserted budgets into Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) flood control projects, he has suddenly rebranded himself as “Fugitive-Whistleblower,” uploading dramatic YouTube videos like episodes of a soap opera.

His explosive allegations against Marcos and former Speaker Romualdez — P100 billion in budget insertions — have not been made under oath. No sworn affidavit. No counter-affidavit filed with the Office of the Ombudsman. Pure drama, zero legal weight.

Classic fugitive playbook: “There are threats to my life, that’s why I can’t return.” Yet the Ombudsman already has a substantive case against him — graft and malversation — based on the anomalous P289-million dike project in Oriental Mindoro that was supposedly never properly completed, even though the contractor allegedly linked to Co was already paid.

On the other side, Malacañang’s counter-programming. They vigorously pursue Co — passport cancellation, Interpol request, treaty talk — but when it comes to Co’s allegations against them, suddenly it’s all “comedy series” and “blackmail.”

Is this pursuit genuine, or convenient house-cleaning to deflect from their own budget-insertion controversies? Why the selective outrage? And how realistic is Interpol repatriation for someone who may now be a dual national? Is this the rule of law, or political convenience?

Legal Labyrinth: The Real Quagmire

Let me lay down the law — because this is where the truth ultimately lies.

The charges against Co include violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 (the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) — causing undue injury to the government through manifest partiality or evident bad faith in the award of contracts.

Plus malversation of public funds under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code (Act No. 3815) — misappropriation of public funds.

If it can be proven that the amount plundered reaches at least ₱50 million, plunder under Republic Act No. 7080 may also be charged.

Evidence reportedly comes from the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) findings: substandard or ghost projects, rigged bidding, and Co’s alleged connection to Sunwest Construction.

Procedurally, there is no extradition treaty with Portugal. Under Presidential Decree No. 1069 (the Philippine Extradition Law), formal extradition requires a treaty or reciprocity.

Precedents are clear: in Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region v. Olalia (G.R. No. 153675, 2007), the Supreme Court emphasized due process and the right to bail for potential extraditees.

In Secretary of Justice v. Lantion (G.R. No. 139465, 2000), notice and hearing are required before extradition proceedings can advance.

A Red Notice? It is merely a request — not an arrest warrant — and remains subject to Portuguese domestic law. If Co is indeed a dual citizen, he is further protected under EU human rights standards.

Alternatives? Deportation if passport fraud can be proven. Or an ad hoc bilateral arrangement — but both are long shots. A full treaty? That takes years.

The Rot is Systemic: It’s Not Just Co

Let us not limit this to one man. The Co case is merely a microcosm of the institutionalized rot in public works.

DPWH projects bloated with budget insertions — pork barrel by another name — have become the milking cow of the politician-contractor symbiosis.

COA audits gather dust. Ombudsman cases are fled from. And a political culture has normalized graft as long as there’s a “project” for photo-ops and ribbon-cuttings.

Of all things — flood control — in a country that drowns every year, the money meant to protect lives is stolen. This is not merely stolen money. This is stolen security.

Call to Arms: We Need Action, Not More Drama

My demand: immediately release to the public the full ICI report on the flood control anomalies and all related Commission on Audit findings. Transparency first — before more telenovela.

Necessary reforms:

  • Amend Republic Act No. 9184 (the Government Procurement Reform Act) to prohibit discretionary congressional project endorsements — the era of “insertions” as personal ATMs must end.
  • Strengthen and genuinely protect legitimate whistleblowers under Republic Act No. 6981 (the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Act), instead of intimidating or weaponizing them.
  • Overhaul the judiciary to expedite corruption cases — so they don’t drag on for decades while the accused roam free.

Finally, we need a fundamental paradigm shift: from “pro-project” governance (where spending the budget is success) to genuine “pro-people” governance (where tangible outcomes matter — where Mindoro does not flood, where lives are not lost to typhoons).

This scandal is not just about stolen money. It is about stolen futures, about lives washed away by floods because the funds meant to save them ended up in the pockets of a few.

While the government postures about chasing someone in Lisbon and Co uploads videos from YouTube, the real tragedy remains here with us — flooded, suffering, and still forced to watch the same absurd show.

The punchline? In the Philippines, justice is like a flood control project: plenty of budget, plenty of ribbon-cuttings, but when the storm comes, we still get soaked.

  • — Barok (Signed from the kweba where the receipts are still piling up while the thieves keep flying first-class.)

Key Citations

A. Legal & Official Sources

B. News Reports

Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo

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