The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Saturday cautioned against the ‘political exploitation’ of the allegations made by former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, who recently broke his silence after being implicated in the corruption of budget insertions and kickbacks in government infrastructure projects.
This came after Co on Friday claimed that he was told by former House Speaker Martin Romualdez to stay out of the Philippines, despite planning to return to the country after his medical check-up, as these were directives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
‘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 CBCP said in a statement, penned by its president Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David.
Co said that he used to believe the promise that he would be taken care of the president, but he said that ‘what I didn’t know was that what they meant by ‘we will take care of you’ was that I would be used as a scapegoat for their anti-corruption campaign.’
Co also implicated Romualdez and Marcos as the alleged masterminds behind P100 billion worth of insertions in the 2025 national budget.
Co then published a list of proposed projects that Marcos, through Romualdez, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, and Presidential Legislative Liaison Office Adrian Bersamin, purportedly requested to be inserted into the budget at the bicameral conference committee level.
The CBCP is then calling for ‘truth, justice, and due process to prevail,’ emphasizing that the ‘Filipino people deserve clarity, not conjecture; truth, not rumor; accountability, not manipulation.’
With this, the CBCP also urged Co to return home noting that if his accusations are credible and with verified evidence, he must file charges before proper courts and under oath.
‘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 the law,’ the CBCP stressed.
After Co’s accusations, Malacañang belied the claims, describing them as ‘completely without basis’ and ‘hearsay.’