A LAWMAKER on Tuesday warned that Co’s resignation should not erase accountability for alleged abuses tied to his party-list group, Ako Bicol, saying it exposes systemic weaknesses in Congress.
Cebu Rep. Duke Frasco alleged that Co, as a shareholder of construction firms, profited from billions of pesos worth of projects inserted in the national budget during his term as Appropriations Committee chair. He argued that by resigning, Co evaded sanction from the House but left his party list unaffected, a move he described as ‘impunity.’
But Ako Bicol Rep. Alfredo Garbin pushed back, calling Frasco’s remarks ‘mere conjecture’ unsupported by evidence or legal findings. He invoked the constitutional presumption of innocence, stressing that no case has yet been filed against Co.
‘The resignation of Cong. Zaldy Co should not, and cannot, erase his crimes, nor absolve Ako Bicol Partylist, the vehicle through which these abuses were committed,’ Frasco said.
‘While Co walks away, his conduit, Ako Bicol Partylist, keeps its seat, benefits, and power as if nothing happened. This is not accountability. This is impunity,’ Frasco stressed.
Citing Section 141 (h) of the House Rules, Frasco said, ‘A Member shall not acquire or receive any personal pecuniary interest in any specific business enterprise which will be directly and particularly favored or benefited by any law or resolution authored by the Member that is approved or adopted by Congress during the Member’s term.’
‘Accountability must extend beyond individuals. If consequences are limited only to a nominee, Congress sets a dangerous precedent: that members can violate rules, resign to avoid expulsion, and leave their party untouched. To protect the integrity of our institutions, Ako Bicol Partylist must face investigation, sanction, and, if warranted, disqualification,’ he added.
Garbin, however, that under the 1987 Constitution, Co enjoys the presumption of innocence unless and until charges are filed and proven before a competent court. ‘To prejudge Zaldy Co in the absence of due process would be a dangerous erosion of the rule of law itself,’ Garbin added.
He added that resignation does not shield Co from investigation, citing jurisprudence that public officials remain liable for acts committed in office even after stepping down.
Garbin also dismissed allegations of conflict of interest, saying Co had long divested from any construction-related businesses prior to assuming office. He further clarified that the insertion of funds into the General Appropriations Act (GAA) is a legitimate congressional process.
‘Even as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Zaldy Co is not powerful enough to railroad provisions of the budget according to his sole wishes. The GAA undergoes rigorous deliberation in both Houses of Congress, bicameral scrutiny, and final approval by the President,’ he said.
Garbin said the party-list should not be dragged into the controversy, noting its separate juridical personality under the Party-list System Act. ‘To punish Ako Bicol for unproven allegations against one nominee would disenfranchise the millions of Bicolanos who vested their trust in Ako Bicol,’ Garbin said.
Meanwhile, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendana has called on Co to come home and confront the allegations leveled against him, stressing that the issue now affects not only Co but also the entire House of Representatives.
‘He should come back and face these allegations. This is no longer just his personal issue-it has become an institutional matter that taints the House as a whole,’ Cendana said.