President Marcos was disappointed that former lawmaker Zaldy Co was not brought back to the Philippines, but he was not blaming anyone, Malacañang said.

Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro revealed that Marcos was disappointed "because we were already close to bringing Zaldy Co home."

"Nakausap po mismo natin ang Pangulo ngayong araw, at sinabi niya na disappointed siya dahil malapit na sana natin napauwi si Zaldy Co (We were able to speak directly with the President today, and he said he was disappointed because we were already close to bringing Zaldy Co home)," Castro said in a Palace briefing on Tuesday, April 28.

"But since mayroon nga pong ibang bansang involved at ang lumalabas lamang po na kaniyang na-violate ay ang paggamit ng invalid documentation so ang bansang Czech Republic po ang siyang mag-uutos kung ano ang gagawin kay Zaldy Co (However, since other countries are involved, and what appears to be the only violation is the use of invalid documentation, it will be the Czech Republic that will decide what will be done with Zaldy Co)," Castro added.

Malacañang disclosed on Tuesday afternoon that Co was already in France where he filed a petition for political asylum.

Although Marcos was disappointed, he is not blaming any official from his Cabinet over the failed attempt to facilitate the return of Co.

He also believes that the government has done everything it can.

"Sa ngayon, ayon sa Pangulo ay wala siyang nakikitang dapat sisihin dahil lahat po ng opisyal na na-involve dito para po alamin kung ano ang nangyari at anong kundisyon at that time ni Zaldy Co ay nagtrabaho po nang maayos (For now, according to the President, he does not see anyone to blame because all the officials who were involved in this, in order to determine what happened and what the condition of Zaldy Co was at that time, did their jobs properly)," Castro said.

While the attempt to bring Co home failed, Castro said the President has nothing to apologize for, including raising the expectations of Filipinos that Co will finally be brought back to the country.

"Saan po siya dapat mag-apologize? Lahat naman po tayo ay umasa. Lahat naman po na dapat gawin ay ginawa ng Pangulo at ng administrasyon. Ang kaniyang ini-report naman po ay tama, so wala po tayong nakikita na maaaring sabihing pagkakamali ng Pangulo dahil hindi po ito tinulungan ng Pangulo (Where should he apologize for? We all had hopes. Everything that needed to be done was done by the President and the administration. What he reported was also correct, so we do not see anything that can be said to be a mistake by the President because he was not helped by the President)," Castro said.

In his expected meeting with the French ambassador on Wednesday, Marcos will discuss whether the Philippine government indeed had any shortcomings in the process or if something has not been done yet.

"Para po mas maliwanagan tayo ano pa ang dapat gawin at ano pa ang dapat maitulong ng ibang bansa lalung-lalo naman po na tayo naman po ay mayroong tinatawag na United Nations Convention Against Corruption (So that we can be made clearer on what else should be done and what further assistance other countries can provide, especially since we have what is called the United Nations Convention Against Corruption)," Castro added.

"So, ang kaso po na kinakaharap ni Zaldy Co ay patungkol sa malversation so aalamin lamang po ng Pangulo, ano ba ang dapat pang nagawa dahil sa ating pagkakaalam, sa pagkakaalam ng Pangulo, lahat po ng dapat gawin ay ginawa na (So, the case being faced by Zaldy Co involves malversation, and the President will simply look into what else should have been done, because as far as we know and as far as the President knows, everything that needed to be done has already been done)," Castro said.

The Palace official also disclosed that Marcos will likewise meet with the ambassador of Czech Republic to discuss the possible shortcomings, what should have been done, and what else could still be done to bring Zaldy Co back to the country.

She also reiterated that the President respects the laws implemented in the Czech Republic, assuring it will not affect the ties of the Philippines with the foreign country.

"Ang paggalang po sa polisiya at batas ng ibang bansa ay hindi naman po dapat maging hadlang ito sa magandang relasyon ng Pilipinas at saka sa Czech Republic (Respect for the policies and laws of other countries should not be an obstacle to the good relations between the Philippines and the Czech Republic)," Castro said.

Malacañang insisted that the government officials' trip to Prague was an official trip, despite not getting the result everybody was hoping for.

Whatever expenses incurred during the trip, Castro said, was justified as it was government work and not a vacation trip.

"Hindi naman po nagpunta doon ang ating mga opisyal para magbakasyon. Pinunta po nila doon ay trabaho para po sa kondisyon at kalagayan ni Zaldy Co (Our officials did not go there to go on vacation. They went there for work regarding the condition and situation of Zaldy Co)," Castro said.

"Kung anuman po ang nagastos dito, ito po ay trabaho ng gobyerno – maaari po itong makita sa COA (Whatever expenses were incurred here, this is government work—they can be found in the COA records)," Castro added.

The President has directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to lead the process of bringing the former Ako Bicol Partylist representative back to the country.

On April 16, Marcos announced that Co was apprehended in Prague, Czech Republic after allegedly crossing the border without proper documentation.

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

Vida revealed on early Tuesday that Co is no longer in the hands of the Czech Republic authorities.

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.