MANILA, Philippines — Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco urged the government to be more transparent on why former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co was set free by Czech authorities amid the ongoing flood control scandal.
It comes after Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said that Co has already left the custody of the Czech republic after he was apprehended for using an expired passport last week.
Speaking at The Manila Times' Newsroom program, Tiangco said that the government should explain the basis of Co's release if there are indeed regulations in the Schengen area.
"If there is no full information [by the government] or the information is sparse, people will speculate. They will be affected by different fake news because there is no detailed official announcement," Tiangco said.
Tiangco was the first lawmaker to expose the involvement of Co's construction firm, Sunwest, to the millions of flood control projects that were either ghost or substandard.
While he said that he appreciates the visit of Vida in Prague, Tiangco said that Filipino officials in Prague should have been more upfront on the situation of Co to prevent misinformation from happening.
