Just as we thought the flood control corruption scandal was finally moving forward with the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s pending report on its findings and the recent arrest of ex-solon Zaldy Co, the case may be hitting a wall once more.
Senate Secretary Mark Mendoza said on Tuesday, April 28, that contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya will temporarily leave Senate detention to undergo a medical procedure. This comes alongside news that Co, another major figure in the scandal, has left the custody of Czech authorities and is reportedly seeking political asylum in France. As for the Senate’s flood control report, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson says that he still hasn’t received the signatures needed for submission to the plenary.
Taken together, these events have us wondering if the flood control case will lose momentum again. Here are three questions we’re asking now about the recent updates.
How long will Curlee Discaya be out of detention?
According to Mendoza, Discaya will only be out of detention for a week, as he’s set to undergo shoulder surgery on Thursday, April 30. The Senate secretary said that Discaya has been cleared by an in-house doctor and had also undergone examination at a hospital in early March. Mendoza says that Discaya will continue his recovery in the Senate.
The contractor, who is accused of taking part in corrupt schemes involving anomalous flood control projects, has been in Senate detention since September 2025, after he was held in contempt for not cooperating in the upper chamber’s probe.
Where is Zaldy Co now?
On Tuesday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro told reporters that Co is in France to seek political asylum, after news broke that he had left the Czech Republic. According to Foreign Affairs Secretary Tess Lazaro, the former Ako Bicol representative is free to move around Europe’s Schengen Area once more. Castro furthermore said that the Czech authorities will have to decide whether to pursue Co. But she also says that Malacañang is in talks with the French and Czech embassies to find ways to bring Co, the alleged “mastermind” behind flood control-related budget insertions, back to the Philippines.
What happens to the Blue Ribbon Committee’s flood control report?
As of Monday, April 27, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s report on the flood control anomalies is still missing three signatures. Without the signatures, the committee cannot submit its report to the plenary, which could then propose legislation based on the findings. But Lacson, who serves as Senate president pro tempore, says he will share the committee’s findings in a privilege speech when session resumes in May.
“At least kung privilege speech, since ayaw magpirma ng ibang members, I don’t have to consult them,” Lacson said. “I’ll be able to share the report and our recommendations with the Ombudsman since magiging public record na ‘yan after I have presented it by way of a privilege speech. Sayang kasi, para mapakinabangan ang evidence kesa mapanis lang.”
