Metro Manila, Philippines – Resigned Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co claimed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. got P25 billion from the 2025 budget insertions, an allegation he made in another video amid calls for him to return and testify under oath.
Co’s new allegations aired on social media on Saturday, Nov. 15, tagged as Part 2 of his tell-all video.
Co emerged at the center of the flood control corruption scandal as he was a co-founder of construction firm Sunwest, one of the top flood control contractors nationwide. Despite saying he divested from the firm in 2019, he was still considered a beneficial owner.
On Friday, the former lawmaker alleged that Marcos ordered the insertion of P100 billion worth of infrastructure projects, including for flood control, in the bicameral version of the 2025 national budget.
When the budget was approved, Co said he asked the Department of Public Works and Highways how much should be given to the Office of the President as “SOP,” a euphemism for kickback. He said the answer he got was “25 percent.”
“Ang ibig sabihin nito, 25 percent ng P100 billion ang SOP na kailangan ibigay kay BBM mismo. In total, P25 billion ang napunta kay Pangulong Bongbong Marcos,” he alleged in his Saturday video.
[Translation: This means 25 percent of the P100 billions was the SOP that should be given to BBM. In total, P25 billion went to President Bongbong Marcos.]
“I don’t want to even dignify what he is saying,” Marcos said in a chance interview.
Suitcases of cash
He also backed the testimony of Orly Guteza, a controversial witness who introduced himself to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee as Co’s ex-security consultant, on the alleged suitcases containing millions of flood control project kickbacks.
Co showed photos of the alleged suitcases of cash, coded as “basura (garbage),” supposedly spanning from January 2024 to March 2025.
Guteza’s sworn affidavit has been found by a court to be falsified.
Guteza claimed that he delivered suitcases from Co’s houses to then Speaker Martin Romualdez’s residences in Makati. The ex-security aide said some of the suitcases remained with Co.
During the Blue Ribbon hearing, he also said that deliveries were supposedly made at the Aguado Residence in Malacañang, purportedly intended for Romualdez.
In his video, Co backed the assertions of deliveries to North Forbes Park, South Forbes Park, and Malacañang.
But he said: “Wala pong pera napunta sa akin. Lahat ng insertion napunta sa ating pangulo at Speaker Martin Romualdez.”
[Translation: I did not get any money. All of the insertions went to the president and then-Speaker Martin Romualdez.]
Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro slammed the claims and the supposed inconsistencies of Co’s narrative.
“Sa sinabi niyang wala siyang kinupit na halaga, kahit na nasa kamay niya ang pag-i-insert ng mga proyekto sa budget 2025, patunayan niya ito lalo pa’t nagsusumigaw ang mga yaman niya,” Castro said in a video.
[Translation: In saying he did not steal any money, even if he had the power to insert projects in the 2025 budget, he should show proof of this especially with his wealth.]
Co was the chairperson of the powerful House appropriations committee, primarily overseeing the budget bill, from 2022 to 2025. He was ousted in the position in January and resigned as House member in September.
‘Come home’
With his new allegations, Co challenged Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla to investigate the alleged involvement of Marcos and Romualdez in the flood control mess.
He also told the Senate to investigate the alleged P100-billion budget insertion.
The Office of the Ombudsman urged Co to submit his statements under oath and through the proper process “so they may be examined with the seriousness they deserve.”
“We say this without prejudice, without hostility — but with deep frustration. Every time a witness chooses the stage instead of the sworn desk, the investigation is forced to pause, to verify, to sift through what is said and what is left unsaid,” the office said in a statement.
The ombudsman office said while the videos “carry weight,” they cannot stand alone in a court of law.
“Why does Mr. Co expect his statements to be taken at face value when every other witness is — as they must be — subjected to scrutiny?” it added.
Malacañang also said the statements of Co were “a bunch of hearsay.”
“We continue to issue the same challenge. Come home, sign these under oath and face the music,” Communications Acting Secretary Dave Gomez said.
Romualdez dismissed Co’s claims as they “do not hold water in the court of law” and reiterated his trust in the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, the Department of Justice, and the Office of the Ombudsman.
“My conscience remains clear,” he said in a statement on Saturday. He also said no public official, contractor, or witness under oath has linked him to any wrongdoing since the start of the series of flood control investigations.
Marcos previously said Romualdez is not yet off the hook, but noted there was no evidence implicating his cousin in the scandal.
