Malacañang stood its ground, saying that all statements made by President Marcos about fugitive Zaldy Co were verified.

Marcos on April 16 said that the former Ako Bicol Partylist representative was arrested in Prague, Czech Republic, after allegedly crossing the border without proper documentation.

Days later, the Department of Justice (DOJ) clarified that Co was "not technically arrested," correcting the term initially used by the government.

Malacañang also later clarified that the word "arrest" did not come from the President and pointed out that "Co's liberty was indeed restrained due to lack of proper documentation."

On Monday, April 27, Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said that Marcos' announcement was verified and accurate.

"[M]aingat po ang Pangulo sa pagbibigay ng anunsiyo sa ating taumbayan kaya huwag ipahid sa Pangulo ang salitang aresto dahil hindi po niya iyan ginamit (The President is careful in making announcements to the public, so do not attribute the word 'arrest' to him because he did not use it)," Castro said in a Palace briefing.

Castro stressed there was nothing inaccurate in the President's statements, saying that when he said Zaldy Co was stopped by Czech authorities, "it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is an arrest."

"Ang 'nahuli' na salita ay very general. So, kapag nahuli, puwede nating sabihin na napahinto, na-stop, na-prevent sa pagkilos, at hindi mali ang Pangulo sa kaniyang inulat noong April 16 (The word 'caught' is very general. So when someone is 'caught,' we can say they were stopped, halted, or prevented from moving, and the President was not wrong in what he reported on April 16)," Castro said.

"At sinabi pa nga niya rito na (He also said that) we are in close coordination with the Czech government to ensure that all legal processes are followed and to arrange for his return to the Philippines at the soonest possible time dahil iyon ang nais ng Pangulo kaya makikipag-coordinate sa Czech Republic (because that's what the President wants, so we coordinated with Czech Republic)," Castro added.

The Palace official also explained that when they learned that the Czech Republic does not use the term "arrest," Marcos also refrained from using it.

"At noong nalaman ang bansang Czech Republic ay hindi ginagamit ang salitang aresto, at hindi naman ginamit ng Pangulo, at sa ating press briefing sa Iloilo, hindi natin ginamit ang salitang aresto (And when it was learned that the Czech Republic does not use the term 'arrest,' and since the President did not use it either—and we also did not use the term 'arrest' in our press briefing in Iloilo)," Castro said.

Castro further explained that if it was used by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) in its release, "it was because of their translation, most likely of the word caught."

"But noong nalaman na hindi ito ang terminong ginagamit ng Czech Republic, iyan po naman ay ating iginalang at pina-correct na lang po natin nang naaayon din po sa nais na salita o termino ng Czech Republic (But when it became clear that this was not the term used by the Czech Republic, we respected that and simply corrected it in accordance with the term preferred by the Czech Republic)," Castro said.

"Dahil nga po hindi lamang iisang bansa ang involved dito, hindi lamang tayo ang involved dito, may ibang bansa na kailangan din po nating igalang ang polisiya (This is because more than one country is involved, we are not the only party involved, and we must also respect the policies of the other country)," she added.

Malacañang also insisted that the President's statements were not premature.

"Uulitin po natin ha, ano ba ang inanunsiyo ni Pangulo? Hindi po ba ang inanunsiyo ng Pangulo unang-una ay nahuli si Zaldy Co – totoo naman ‘di po ba? Nasa kustodiya ng Czech Republic si Zaldy Co, totoo naman at ang sabi ng Pangulo nakikipag-coordinate tayo sa Czech Republic, totoo naman – so, anong premature doon (Let’s go over it again, what exactly did the President announce? Didn’t he first announce that Zaldy Co was 'caught'—which is true, right? Zaldy Co is in the custody of the Czech Republic—that’s also true—and the President said we are coordinating with the Czech Republic, which is likewise true. So what is premature about that)," Castro argued.

"Walang premature doon (There is nothing premature about it)," she added.

The Palace mouthpiece underscored that the President's position on Co has not changed, "he still wants Co to be brought back to the Philippines."

On reports of possibilities that Co was no longer in Prague, Castro said she does not have any information yet on the updates from the DOJ, adding that she does not have the authority to reveal details about the government's effort to bring Co home.

"On my part personally, hindi ko pa po alam kung nagkausap sila pero nadinig naman po natin ang mga naianunsiyo ni Secretary Vida at kung ano po iyong latest na impormasyong ibinigay niya sa Pangulo hindi pa rin po napapaabot sa akin (On my part, personally, I do not yet know if they have spoken, but we heard the announcements made by Secretary Fredderick Vida, and the latest information he provided to the President has not yet been relayed to me)," she said.

She added that the Palace remains hopeful that the former lawmaker will be brought back to the country.

Castro also disclosed that have requested for a red notice against Co.

"Lahat naman po ginagawa, kahit hindi pa po siya na-hold sa Czech Republic ay ginagwa maman po ang lahat. At ngayon nga po ay meron tayong request for red notice at hinihintay lamang natin ito (Everything is being done, even before he was held in the Czech Republic, all efforts were already being made. And now, we have a request for a red notice and are just waiting for it)," Castro said.

On April 23, Vida departed for the Czech Republic to explore various legal actions to bring Co home.

Co and several others are facing graft and malversation charges before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the alleged flood anomalies in a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region IV-B project.