Fugitive Pagadian mayor still in Phl – DOJ

MANILA, Philippines - The manhunt for Pagadian City Mayor Samuel Co intensifies as authorities believe that he is still in the country and must be immediately arrested, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said yesterday.

De Lima said a check with the Bureau of Immigration showed that the fugitive mayor has not left the country even before the warrant for his arrest was issued by Iligan Judge Alberto Quinto last Thursday for his alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso investment scam of Aman Futures Group Phils. Inc.

“We have not received any information yet that he left through fraudulent means or via backdoor,” she told The STAR.

De Lima reiterated that Co will not be able to leave the country even without a hold departure order issued by the court. She explained that the arrest warrant should be enough to stop him from leaving.

The justice chief directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to intensify the hunt for Co despite his lawyers’ insistence that the arrest order should not be enforced since it is under appeal and therefore not yet final.

“For as long as the arrest warrant is subsisting or not recalled, it is the duty of the law enforcement agencies – the NBI and PNP – to implement the same,” she added.

De Lima disputed the statement of Co’s lawyer Trixie Angeles that the arrest warrant “cannot be final without a hearing.”

Angeles said they have filed a motion for reconsideration on the court’s ruling denying their motion for judicial determination of probable cause and a petition to recall the warrant pending resolution of the appeal.

The NBI tried but failed to serve the warrant on Co at his home, office and other places in Pagadian City. His staff said he was in Manila for an official trip, but his lawyer told reporters he is still in Pagadian.

Co earlier denied the charges and claimed he was also a victim of the scam perpetrated by the firm owned by Manuel Amalilio.

The Department of Justice, however, dismissed his denial and charged him after a certification issued by Aman confirmed that Co was an “authorized agent” of the firm.