CLAIM: Former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co was arrested in Japan.
RATING: FALSE
A YouTube video uploaded by the channel “TRENDING PINAS NEWS” falsely claimed that former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co had been arrested in Japan.
Flagged content: The Nov. 17 video also erroneously claimed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had laid down a guilty verdict on Co, and then sentenced the ex-lawmaker to death.
- The caption reads, “KAKAPASOK LANG! ZALDY CO YARI NA DAKIP SA JAPAN,BITAY NA ANG HATOL NI PBBM (sic).” (“Breaking news, Zaldy Co is already arrested in Japan, execution is the verdict of PBBM.”)
Our debunk: No statements or documents were released by the Philippine or Japanese governments that would confirm Co’s arrest.
- The video clip showing Interpol holding a man with handcuffs is not that of Co being arrested. It’s a video clip of a wanted man being extradited to Honduras.
- Co’s recent social media post was a letter to Marcos Jr. about 2025 budget insertions.
- No president can mete out a death sentence. In 2006, the Philippines repealed the death penalty through Republic Act No. 9346, and it has not been restored since.
- This is an example of news-cycle disinformation, an annoying subset of disinformation that mimics real-time news “updates” on an active story — claiming arrests, releases, case dismissals, or even deaths that haven’t happened.
Rewind: Co has been involved in corruption issues hounding Department of Public Works and Highways projects.
- On Nov. 14, Co addressed for the first time the allegations thrown at him regarding his involvement in the controversial flood control projects.
Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video has garnered 14,350 views and 1,114 likes as of the time of writing.
Spot the fake: Follow only reliable sources of information.
- Find formal press releases on official government websites to confirm raw or suspect information. Francis Mediavillo
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