MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr (pic) ordered local authorities to reach out to Singapore and Malaysia where he said a former lawmaker may be hiding aircraft that are among assets Manila has frozen as part of a corruption crackdown.
The leader last week ordered the arrest of former Congressman Zaldy Co and other individuals allegedly tied to a graft scandal involving money meant for flood infrastructure.
"You cannot steal from Filipino people and expect to hide or fly away on your private jets,” Marcos said in a video posted on his Facebook account on Friday (Nov 28).
"You have the money to run but you cannot outrun the Republic of the Philippines.”
The assets of Co, who’s currently at large, are among those immobilised by the Philippine government as it strengthens efforts to hold to account those involved in the multibillion-dollar graft mess surrounding flood control projects in one of the world’s most typhoon-prone nations.
Included in the wanted haul are two AgustaWestland helicopters currently in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, and one Gulfstream aircraft in Singapore, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
The agency said on Friday that it’s coordinating with counterparts in Singapore and Malaysia.
The Gulfstream G350 has been linked to a company associated with the former lawmaker, Misibis Aviation & Development Corp. The company bought the jet around June 2024, according to a trade publication. Its last known flight was on Aug 16 from Manila to Singapore’s Seletar Airport, Flightradar24 data show.
Marcos separately also announced that a dismissed public works official implicated in the scandal has returned 110 million pesos (US$1.9 million) to the government and plans to turn over 200 million pesos more, Marcos said.
"This government intends to bring back every peso, every asset, every person responsible and return it to the Filipino people,” he said. - Bloomberg
