• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has brushed aside a video statement issued by resigned Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co implicating him in the insertion of about P100 billion funds for unprogrammed projects in the 2025 budget.
“I don’t want to dignify what he is saying,” President Marcos said when asked for a comment on the claims of Co.
He refused to make further comments.
If you want to talk about the storm, we will talk about that, the Presidents told local reporters covering the event on Saturday, who was in Negros Occidental to visit the typhoon devastated areas of La Castellana and Moises Padilla, to check on the situation of affected residents.
Malacañang said the latest claims made by ex-Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co while in hiding abroad were all baseless and hearsay.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez reiterated the Palace’s challenge to Co to face investigation and to formalize his claims through a legally sworn affidavit.
Malacañang has pointed out that President Marcos himself initiated the investigation into the corruption in flood control and other infrastructure projects and created the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to ensure that all those involved in ghost and substandard projects are charged and embezzled public funds are recovered.
President Marcos earlier said many of those who have been charged with graft and malversation for the anomalous flood control projects will see jail before Christmas.
The Office of the Ombudsman has urged Co to come home and submit statements under oath.
If the intention is to help uncover the truth, then let us pursue it in the manner that leads to real and enforceable accountability – not through spectacle, but through the rules that govern us all, the Ombudsman’s statement said.
Let the facts speak. Let the truth stand. Accountability does not choose its target. Let the axe fall where it should, the Ombudsman further said.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) also issued a statement on the recent allegations made by Co.
“We likewise caution against the political exploitation of these allegations, especially when released at sensitive moments that may inflame public sentiment or be used to influence political outcomes,” the statement said.
If his accusations are credible and substantial, the CBCP urged him to return to the country and file his charges before proper authorities, under oath, and supported by verifiable evidence.
Public declarations on social media, however alarming, cannot take the place of formal testimony in the appropriate legal venues. For the good of the nation, such claims must be examined transparently, impartially, and in accordance with the rule of law, the CBCP further said.*
