Manila, Philippines – Presidential son and House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos on Tuesday, Nov. 25, belied the claims of former lawmaker Zaldy Co that he illegally inserted some P50 billion in the national budget for three years ending 2025.
The fresh allegations that now dragged the presidential son into the corruption scandal were made by Co in his latest video released on Tuesday. Co is facing charges tied to the anomalous flood control projects and has not returned to the country since a congressional probe was launched in September.
“Anyone can sit in front of a camera from abroad and spew lies,” Marcos said in a statement, adding that Co’s statements are “frankly as fantastical as they are false.”
Marcos, who is 1st district representative for Ilocos Norte, said Co’s claims were a bid to stir up political chaos to “escape his own legal troubles.”
The videos were released “to destabilize the government,” the statement read.
“This is someone who our kababayans [countrymen] know to be the architect of this mess yet continues to insult their intelligence by saying ‘wala siyang nakuha [he did not take anything],’” the statement added.
The Ilocos Norte lawmaker cited intelligence information that suggested Co “already struck a deal with those who stand to benefit from such a change.”
Over the weekend, Sen. Ping Lacson said he received an offer from retired military officers to join what he called a civil-military junta to oust President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte from office.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Tuesday dismissed talks of a military junta within its ranks. The military will not subscribe to any move that violates the Philippine Constitution, its spokesperson said.
