Former House Member Zaldy Co Accuses PBBM of Alleged P100-Billion Budget Insertion in 2025 Budget
Zaldy Co released the list of projects that were allegedly included in the supposed P100-billion budget insertions by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Co has yet to return to the Philippines amid the massive flood control corruption allegations against him. Several witnesses in the flood control mess pinned down the resigned Ako Bicol Partylist Representative.
Co was already out of the country when the flood control accusations against him broke out. There were countless calls for him to return to the Philippines and face the allegations but he did not heed the call.
House Speaker Bojie Dy revoked the Travel Clearance of Zaldy Co and ordered him to return to the Philippines but he did not. Instead, Co resigned from being the representative of Ako Bicol Partylist in the House of Representatives.
The Ako Bicol Partylist stood by Co and even called his resignation a sacrifice. Previously, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee claimed that it will invite the resigned House member but Senator Ping Lacson soon clarified that they will no longer invite Zaldy Co in the November 14 Senate flood control hearing.
However, on the same day that the Senate flood control hearing resumed, Zaldy Co broke his silence through a video message and accused Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez of allegedly masterminding the alleged bicam insertion scheme.
According to Co, Marcos Jr. and Romualdez allegedly instructed him to insert P100 billion worth of projects in the 2025 budget. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, some House members have expressed a call to the resigned Ako Bicol Partylist Representative to face the authorities and testify under oath.
Zaldy Co also released the list of the alleged projects that were supposedly included in the multi-billion budget insertion of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Based on the post, he cited the following budget items:
- roads and highways construction
- diversion road
- road slope protection structure
- flood mitigation project
- construction of road with drainage system
- cross country road
- construction of access road leading to TPLEX
- viaduct
- flyovers
- bridges
- road rehabilitation
- rehabilitation of road and drainage
- rehabilitation of road network
- asphalt overlay
- cross country road package
- construction of coastal road/shore protection
- bypass road
- construction of riverbank structure, including irrigation system
- construction of revetment
- installation of road safety devices, informative signs and solar lighting
- rehabilitation of DPWH – Quezon City 2nd District Engineering Office Building
- rehabilitation of damaged slope protection and
- improvement of road and drainage system
Marcos Jr. has yet to personally speak on the accusations of Co against him. In his claim, Zaldy Co also said that it was Romualdez who allegedly instructed him to “stay out of the country… as instructed by the President.