Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson urged the government to consider seeking assistance from the United Nations (UN) to locate and arrest fugitive former congressman Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co.

Lacson said the government could explore mechanisms under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) to help track down and apprehend Co, who has been linked to an alleged multibillion-peso flood control fund anomaly.

The senator said in an interview that the Philippines is a signatory to the UNCAC.

He noted that the treaty was signed by 192 countries in 2003 and ratified in 2006. He added that tapping the support of other signatory states could significantly speed up efforts to locate and arrest the former lawmaker.

According to Lacson, seeking assistance from the UN’s 191 other member-countries could broaden the Philippines’ options beyond its current reliance on the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).

He called on key government agencies — including the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) — to study the possibility of invoking UNCAC provisions in Co’s case.

Lacson also revealed that Co’s Philippine passport has already been canceled, a move that has effectively limited his ability to travel. With the cancellation, Co is believed to be a stateless person, which, according to Lacson, could make it easier for authorities to locate and arrest him.

Co has been implicated in the alleged misuse of billions of pesos allocated for flood control projects.

However, Co has released a series of videos on social media denying the accusations and pointing to what he claims are the real individuals involved in the controversy, which he alleges is centered within Malacañang.