Zaldy Co | |
---|---|
![]() Official portrait, 2025 | |
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives for Ako Bicol | |
In office June 30, 2019 –September 29, 2025 | |
Succeeded by | TBD |
Chair of the House Appropriations Committee | |
In office July 25,2022 –January 13,2025 | |
Preceded by | Eric Yap |
Succeeded by | Stella Quimbo |
Personal details | |
Born | Elizaldy Salcedo Co December 8,1970 |
Political party | Ako Bicol |
Spouse | Mylene Recinto-Co |
Relations | Christopher Co (brother) Natasha Co (niece) Claudine Co (niece) |
Children | 4 |
Alma mater | AMA Computer College (BS) Aquinas University (MBA) |
Occupation | Politician,businessman |
Known for | CEO,Sunwest Group of Companies Chairman,Misibis Bay Resort |
Elizaldy "Zaldy" Salcedo Co (born December 8,1970) is a Filipino businessman and politician who previously served as a representative for the Ako Bicol Partylist in the House of Representatives of the Philippines from 2019 until his resignation in 2025. He is also the chief executive officer of the Sunwest Group of Companies and Chairman of the Board of Misibis Bay Resort in Bacacay,Albay.
Co was born on December 8,1970. [1] He completed his primary education at Bicol University College of Education Integrated Laboratory School in Legazpi in 1982 and his secondary education at St. Gregory the Great Seminary in Tabaco in 1986. He earned his bachelor's degree in computer engineering from AMA Computer College and later completed his Master of Business Administration at Aquinas University in 1998. [2]
Zaldy Co along with his brother Christopher "Kito" Co founded the Sunwest Construction and Development Corporation (SCDC) in 1997. [3] [4] The business which later renamed as Sunwest Inc.,diversified and became involved in the real estate,energy,and tourism industries. [4]
On January 31,2002,a cargo ship owned by Co sank in Albay Gulf due to strong waves it encountered while transporting a bulldozer from Santo Domingo to Bacacay,Albay;although six of its passengers swam to safety,one 65-year-old passenger went missing. [5] [6]
In the 2000s,Co's Sunwest was linked to government flood control and road projects under the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Sunwest is among the top contractors of the Department of Public Works and Highways. [4] In May 2007,Albay vice governor Jesus "James" Calisin claimed that several Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) river projects awarded to the Co siblings' companies were being fraudulently implemented,with funds meant for the rehabilitation of Albay in the aftermath of Typhoons Milenyo and Reming alleged to have been redirected for use in the 2007 elections. [7] According to Calisin,one of the projects involved the channeling of a non-existent river in the town of Malilipot. [7] Albay governor Fernando Gonzales had previously attempted to meet several times with DPWH Bicol officials for better coordination on infrastructure projects in the province,but they consistently ignored his invitations. [7]
In 2008,Co proposed the establishment of three mini hydroelectric power plants in the province of Catanduanes,which were supported by Governor Joseph Cua but opposed by energy commissioner Rodolfo Albano Jr.; [8] it was soon approved by the Department of Energy,and by 2011 two of the three plants built by Co's company Suweco were in operation. [9] [10]
In 2009,Sunwest acquired the Hyatt Regency Hotel of Jose Mari Chan in Pasay. [11] The hotel reopened as Midas Hotel and Casino in December 2010. [12]
In 2013,the DPWH infrastructure projects acquired by the Co sibling's companies Sunwest and Hi-Tone received scrutiny after numerous "completed" projects in Albay were found to be unfinished despite them already being paid in full. [13] [14] [15] [16] A year later,both construction companies were investigated by the Commission on Audit for their potential involvement in the pork barrel scam after each of them were found to have received over ₱1 billion worth of DPWH projects from 2009 to 2010 that were funded by the Priority Development Assistance Fund of congressmen. [17]
From 2016 to 2025,Sunwest bagged ₱86.1 billion worth of contracts,almost half of which are in the Bicol Region. [4] [18] His company secured contracts including landslide facilities for the Bicol International Airport. [19]
Co divested from SCDC in 2019 but remains as a beneficial owner. [20]
The party-list Ako Bicol,chaired by Co and aiming to represent the people of Bicol Region,was accredited by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in 2009. [21] [22] [23] By this time,Co had reportedly been close to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel,with the party-list group Bayan Muna filing a disqualification case against Ako Bicol on claims that it was merely a front for the Arroyos. [24] Nevertheless,Ako Bicol topped the party-list election in 2010,garnering its first three nominees (including Co's brother Christopher) seats in the House of Representatives. [21] In late 2012,COMELEC attempted to disqualify Ako Bicol and three other party-list groups for not representing a marginalized sector,but was given a status quo ante order by the Supreme Court halting its suspension of the party-lists. [25] [23] [26]
Co was inaugurated as a representative for the Ako Bicol party-list in the House of Representatives of the Philippines on June 30,2019. [27] He approached president Rodrigo Duterte to expedite the completion of the Bicol International Airport. [18]
In the 19th Congress which began in 2022,he was appointed as the chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations. [28] He was removed from the position in January 2025. [29] Co authored 524 bills during the 19th Congress. [30]
In February 2023,Co was endorsed by the term-limited Joey Salceda as his successor as Albay's 2nd district representative. [31] However,Co remained a nominee of Ako Bicol for the 2025 election.
Co retained his seat in the lower house for the 20th Congress, which started in July 2025. However, he did not attend any plenary session since the house convened on July 28, 2025. [34] Co, due to his ownership of the contractor firm Sunwest, has been implicated in the 2025 flood control projects scandal. [35] [36] Co went to the United States, citing medical treatment as his reason. [37] On September 19, newly elected House Speaker Bojie Dy revoked Co's travel license, demanding his return to the Philippines within 10 days to answer allegations against him. [38] However, on September 29, Co resigned as member of the House of Representatives. [39]
In February 2024, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva raised concerns about Co's company, Sunwest Corporation, alleging its involvement in the Pharmally scandal and a controversial Department of Education laptop deal. This came after Co referenced a dismissed ombudsman case against Villanueva, who countered by presenting evidence suggesting his signature was forged. [40] In 2025, the Office of the Ombudsman charged Department of Education executives for buying overpriced and outdated laptops from Sunwest in 2021. [41]
In September 2024, Co, along with other lawmakers, disputed Vice President Sara Duterte's claim that only two officials controlled the national budget. Co described the statement as a "scam attempt" and emphasized that budget decisions were made collectively. He also criticized Duterte for not attending a hearing on the Office of the Vice President's proposed budget. [42]
In October 2024, Co faced scrutiny over statements regarding flood control funding in the Bicol region. A Vera Files fact-check revealed that he had misrepresented the funding situation by claiming no billion-peso funding was allocated for flood control projects, while the Department of Public Works and Highways had received ₱1.3 billion for such efforts in 2023. [43] Co later defended the administration's strategy, explaining that funding was redirected toward water impounding facilities to improve food security. [44]
Construction firms linked to Co's family received flood contracts worth ₱15.7 billion while Co headed the House appropriations committee, which decides on the national budget. [41] Co is co-founder of Sunwest, Inc. while his brother Christopher Co is co-founder of Hi-Tone and his sister Farida Co is co-founder of FS Co, all firms with large government contracts. [41] On September 25, his Wikipedia page was vandalized for two hours, with his surname altered from "Co" to "Co-rakot". [a] [45]
On September 18, 2025, House Speaker Bojie Dy revoked Co's travel clearance and ordered him to return to the Philippines. [46] The DPWH ordered the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to freeze ₱4.7-billion worth in air assets, including several luxury planes, owned by companies linked to Co. [47] On September 26, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said it was requesting an International Police (Interpol) Blue Notice to help locate Co. [48]
On September 29, 2025, Co resigned as a member of the House of Representatives representing the Ako Bicol partylist amid allegations of massive corruption in connection with flood control projects and insertions in the national budget, accusations that he has repeatedly denied while abroad. [49]
Year | Office | Party | Votes received | Result | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | % | P. | Swing | |||||
2019 | Representative (Party-list) | Ako Bicol | 1,049,040 | 3.76% | 3rd | — | Won | |
2022 | 816,445 | 2.24% | 5th | -1.52 | Won | |||
2025 | 1,073,119 | 2.56% | 6th | +0.32 | Won |
The Solong and Hitoma plants started soft operations in late 2010 and early 2011, respectively.
Both the Kilikao and Mariawa projects were under contract with Hi-Tone Construction and implemented by the DPWH regional office, according to records.