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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Remulla: Zaldy Co staying in luxurious French property while seeking asylum

Remulla: Zaldy Co staying in luxurious French property while seeking asylum

Gambling tycoon Atong Ang nearly caught in Cavite, Interior Secretary adds

Published May 8, 2026 02:30 pm
Former Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co (Facebook)
Former Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co (Facebook)
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla revealed on Friday, May 8, that former Ako-Bicol Partylist Rep. Zaldy Co is currently hiding in a high-end property in France while applying for an asylum.
The property is reportedly located in the prestigious Champs-Élysées area near a boutique of a world-famous luxury bag, describing the residence as a 10-bedroom house potentially valued at 200 million euros.
“There is a house in the Champs-Élysées with 10 bedrooms near Christian Dior. It is probably worth 200 million. He is staying there now,” he said during a Kapihan ng Samahang Plaridel forum in Manila.
Co is currently seeking political asylum in France which was reportedly filed just last week. He said an individual can only file an asylum in one country, and Co can no longer re-file it in another nation if his France application gets denied.
In relation, Remulla said the Philippine government continues to secure an Interpol red notice against Co, through the Presidential Commission for Transnational Crimes (PCTC), to bring him back to the country and have him face the charges over the flood control controversy. However, the international police organization has yet to grant the request.
“Nag-apply kami ng Red Notice this September 2025. ‘Yung Interpol sa France, hindi pa gina-grant ‘yung red notice hanggang ngayon,” Remulla said.
“It turns out iba pala ang batas ng Pilipinas saka sa Interpol. Doon may political inkling ng konti. Idedelay nila. Iiinvestigate nila sa kanilang sarili but I’m confident we’ll get the red notice and we’re going to get Zaldy Co back here to the Philippines,” he added.
He maintained that a Red Notice remains the government's "only hope" to secure Co's return.
Co was previously intercepted at the border of Czech Republic and Germany, and was detained for 36 hours in Prague after presenting an expired Philippine passport while attempting to enter Germany.
“I was the one who informed the President [Marcos] of his catching,” Remulla admitted. He added that Justice Secretary Frederick Vida and the Philippine ambassador were dispatched immediately to negotiate Co’s return to the Philippines.
Despite the initial capture, Co was released after approximately 72 hours.
Nonetheless, Remulla expressed confidence that the government will secure Co before his asylum process concludes.
Hunt vs Atong Ang
Meanwhile, Remulla disclosed a near-miss operation involving another high-profile figure, Atong Ang, who is wanted by the authorities over his alleged role in the disappearance of the missing sabungeros.
A massive strike team consisted of 300 personnel from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) raided a house in Cavite where Ang was sighted last month, according to the DILG chief.
“We acted very fast. Three hundred ang raiding team na pumasok sa lugar pero wala na,” Remulla said.
The Secretary noted that the team was "very close" to catching Ang, and authorities even found fresh food left on the table upon their arrival.
The house reportedly belonged to a former acquaintance of Ang and Remulla believes the gambling tycoon’s group evaded capture by moving to different locations every two days.
To prevent leaks, Remulla ordered the raiding team to surrender their cellphones two hours before the strike. He remains certain that Ang is still within the country.
“He’s here in the Philippines for sure,” Remulla said.

Related Tags

DILG Jonvic Remulla Zaldy Co Atong Ang France Cavite
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