Manila: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday accused a lawyer representing former lawmaker Zaldy Co of trying to 'blackmail' the government by attempting to prevent the cancellation of Co's passport in exchange for stopping the release of damaging online videos against the current administration.

According to Philippines News Agency, President Marcos, in his report on the ongoing flood control probe, revealed that Co's lawyer approached Malaca±ang with the proposition that if the government refrained from canceling Co's passport, the release of his 'tell-all' videos would cease. This offer, however, was firmly rejected by the President.

Marcos stated, 'Nilapitan po kami ng abogado ni Zaldy Co at nagtatangkang mag-blackmail. na kung hindi namin kakanselahin ang passport niya, hindi na raw siya maglalabas ng video (A lawyer representing Zaldy Co approached us and attempted to blackmail us - saying that if we don't cancel his passport, he will stop releasing videos).' The President made it clear that he was unwilling to negotiate with individuals he described as criminals, asserting, 'Kahit maglabas ka pa ng video ng kasinungalingan mo, makakansela pa rin ang passport mo (Even if you release more lies, your passport will still be cancelled).'

Zaldy Co has been implicated in alleged corruption related to flood-control projects and has published a series of online videos accusing various officials, including President Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, of misconduct.

The government has previously stated that Co is under a blue notice request, which allows international law enforcement agencies to monitor his movements.

The President's remarks coincide with the Anti-Money Laundering Council's acquisition of two freeze orders affecting PHP12 billion in assets tied to the flood-control investigation, including those linked to Co. The frozen assets encompass aircraft, bank accounts, insurance policies, vehicles, real estate, and e-wallet accounts.

Marcos emphasized that the freezing of assets signifies the administration's commitment to recovering public funds lost to corruption, declaring, 'Ang pera ng taumbayan ay ibabalik sa taumbayan (The people's money will be returned to the people).'