FORMER Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co needs to return to the country if he will testify on one of the impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., House Committee on Justice chairperson Gerville Luistro said Saturday.
“Ang nasa ilalim po ng rules ng impeachment, dapat sa Justice Committee chair panunumpaan lahat ng affidavits and counter affidavits. And that includes the giving of testimony before the Justice Committee,” Luistro said. (Under the rules of impeachment, all affidavits and counter-affidavits must be sworn to by the Justice Committee chair.)
“Kung itong mga (If these) intended witnesses are willing to come before the Justice Committee and take their oath, of course they can testify… Lahat po ng ebidensiya (All evidence) supporting the impeachment complaint has to be sworn in before the Justice Committee,” she added. Asked if Co has to come home if he is willing to testify, Luistro replied, “Definitely.”
According to Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, Co is believed to be staying inside a gated community in Lisbon, Portugal amid an arrest warrant issued against him in relation to supposed anomalous flood control projects. In November, Marcos challenged Co to come home and face accusations against him.
