MANILA — Former Representative Elizaldy Co will only come back to the Philippines once he no longer fears for his safety, his legal counsel Ruy Rondain said.

“[H]e will come back when the threat against his life is abated — when his fear of the threat of his life is abated,” Rondain told ANC’s Headstart.

Rondain said Co remains “okay” emotionally and mentally despite having some health concerns. “He’s all right, I assume. Of course, he has his medical problems like most people, but he’s okay. Emotionally and mentally, he’s okay,” the lawyer said.

When asked if Co is fit to return home and confront the allegations of bribery and corruption, Rondain did not give a clear answer. Instead, he repeatedly questioned what specific charges were being referred to and who made them.

Rondain maintained that his client has not committed any wrongdoing. “He feels very bad that there’s a lot of anger but he does not understand why he’s the target,” he said.

According to the lawyer, Co is uncertain about the accusations against him and insists that the responsibility to prove guilt lies with the complainants and prosecutors.

“The law was drafted in a way that the burden of proof lies with the complainant and prosecution,” Rondain noted, adding that he continues to ask “what insertions,” when these were supposedly made, and how much money was involved.

Rondain said he last spoke with Co on Thursday morning, a day after a press conference, saying his client was “quite happy” with how the briefing went and hoped it would “relieve the anger a little bit.”

Still, he admitted that “there’s nothing” he can do if some people “refuse to listen to reason.”

Co, who has been out of the country for several months, has not attended any congressional sessions since the 20th Congress convened. He resigned after House Speaker Bojie Dy ordered him to return to face an ethics complaint.

The former lawmaker is accused of manipulating the 2025 national budget during his time as chair of the House appropriations committee by allegedly inserting billions of pesos worth of infrastructure projects from which he supposedly received kickbacks, particularly those related to flood control.

He is also facing allegations of bribery, plunder, and corruption in coordination with other public officials. The Independent Commission for Infrastructure has recommended filing criminal charges against him in connection with a ₱289.5-million flood control and dike project in Oriental Mindoro.