Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, Nov. 24, dared former AKO BICOL party-list Rep. Zaldy Co to come home and face charges amid the ongoing probe on anomalous flood control projects.
In a briefing at the Palace, Marcos dismissed new claims made by the embattled ex-solon and warned again about the spread of “fake news.”
Co has been out of the country even before the president went public about the flood control mess during the State of the Nation Address.
“Anyone can go online and make all kinds of claims and say all kinds of things, paulit-ulit [It’s repetitive],” the president said.
“It means nothing. For it to mean something umuwi siya dito [he should come home]. Harapin niya ‘yung mga kaso niya [He should face the charges],” Marcos added.
Co revealed details of the supposed system of cash dropoffs to the president and his cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, in a new video posted ahead of Marcos’ briefing.
He previously said Marcos ordered a ₱100-billion budget insertion in the bicameral committee version of the current budget, a claim the Palace called “hearsay.”
“Come home. Ba’t ka nagtatago sa malayo? Ako hindi ako nagtatago. Kung meron kang akusasyon sakin nandito ako,” Marcos said in answer to Co’s claims.
[Translation: Come home. Why are you hiding far away? I’m not hiding. If you have accusations, I’m right here.]
Marcos said an arrest warrant is out against Co and 17 others in the scandal. The officials are facing graft and non-bailable malversation charges at the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.
