MANILA—Former Ako Bicol party-list Representative Zaldy Co is reportedly signaling his intention to surrender according to Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla.

Secretary Remulla said the former lawmaker has been sending "surrender feelers" through priest acquaintances.

However, the secretary clarified that this information has not been verified.

"Not exactly, it's like he's trying to connect, he wants dialogue with us. But of course that's not verified. It's like someone just mentioned it, relayed by a friend of a friend," Remulla said.

[“Not exactly, parang nagpa-pakonekta, gusto ng dialogue sa amin pero of course that’s not verified, parang nagsabi pa lang, sinabi ng kaibigan ng kaibigan na pinaparating,”]

Despite the unconfirmed nature of the information, the secretary emphasized that the government is taking any indication of dialogue from the former legislator seriously.

Co was last monitored in Portugal, where he reportedly already has a Portuguese passport.

The former congressman has been implicated in the flood control corruption scandal and is among those facing charges related to anomalous infrastructure projects.

Authorities continue to monitor Co's whereabouts as legal proceedings move forward against individuals involved in the alleged multi-billion peso scheme.