MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it cancelled one regular and one diplomatic passport of former representative Elizaldy Co by virtue of a court order in December 2025.
"This was immediately reported to Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization)," the DFA said in a statement on Tuesday.
It issued the clarification as some quarters wondered about Co's ability to travel within Europe despite the reported cancelation of his passport.
"With regard to his other regular passport which expired in September 2022 and which may have been used by Mr. Co to cross to Germany from the Czech Republic, this need not be cancelled since its expiration rendered it unusable for international travel," the DFA said.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed that Co is no longer under the custody of Czech authorities after he was held for immigration violations.
Acting DOJ Secretary Fredderick Vida said the former Ako Bicol partylist representative was released after being accosted last April 16 and is now free somewhere in Europe.
Vida said Co is believed to remain within the Schengen area, but Czech authorities declined to provide details on his whereabouts, citing data privacy rules and the bloc’s open-border policies.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson earlier said the government can tap a 2003 anti-corruption convention of the United Nations (UN) to locate and arrest Co.
He said the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), which the Philippine Senate ratified in 2006, is a legally binding treaty that provides a framework for international cooperation against corruption.
"One option the Philippine government may explore is to tap the UNCAC, where we are a signatory. Imagine, 192 countries signed the convention," Lacson said in Filipino and English.
"If we tap the resources of 191 other countries, you can imagine how our efforts to locate and arrest Co will be easier," he said in a radio interview last year.
The UNCAC's Article 38 mandates cooperation between state parties in investigating and prosecuting criminal offenses.
He said the Ombudsman, Department of Justice and the DFA can study this option in seeking the help of other signatories to the convention.
Lacson said this will complement the Philippines' request to the Interpol to issue a red notice against Co, whose passport had already been canceled by the DFA.
