Metro Manila, Philippines – Zaldy Co counsel Ruy Rondain has denied blackmailing President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. into a deal that puts a stop to the release of a series of videos dragging the president into the corruption scheme in exchange for his client’s passport.
In a message sent by his representative to a Viber group for journalists covering Congress, Rondain said he did not have conversations with the Marcos administration.
The president said early Wednesday, Nov. 26, that Co’s lawyer offered to stop the release of video statements directed against Marcos, his son Sandro and cousin Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez if the administration will drop its plan to cancel Co’s passport.
“Completely untrue,” Rondain said in the Viber message sent through his staff.
“I have not spoken with anyone from the government to negotiate the stoppage of the videos for the passport. As I have always maintained, I have no control over the release of the videos,” the statement read.
Co has sought refuge abroad in wake of a corruption scandal that erupted as Congress launched a probe into anomalous flood control projects that did not exist or were left unfinished.
From an undisclosed location, Co has been releasing videos since last week that are bombshell allegations linking Marcos, his family and Cabinet members into questionable multibillion-peso budget insertions and the corruption scheme.
