Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin has defended his colleague, former lawmaker Elizaldy Co, against Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong’s insinuations of corruption, saying that such allegations have not yet been proven in court.
In a statement on Friday, Garbin said he ‘respects’ Magalong’s views but emphasized that the mayor should also ‘be fair.’ He was referring to Magalong’s description of Co as having stolen public funds during a Senate hearing on proposed budget reforms.
Garbin also explained that his remark about Co ‘making a sacrifice’ referred to the former lawmaker’s decision to relinquish his post despite the absence of a final court ruling on possible cases against him.
‘If we immediately say that he is a ‘thief’ and call him out for alleged ‘hypocrisy’ even without a judgment, that will be painful for our democracy and the principle of due process. This is not setting aside the bases of allegations, but enforcing the spirit of the Constitution: that anyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty,’ Garbin, a lawyer by profession, said in Filipino.
Garbin also said that Magalong’s statements may be considered ‘justice that strikes before it hears,’ which he described as a ‘flawed system’ since public judgment is made ‘without proper consideration or hearing of all parties.’
‘Rep. Co’s resignation clearly shows delicadeza. He did this to ensure that there would be no influence or preference in whatever investigation would be done against him,’ he explained.
‘He did not cling to his post, unlike what some other politicians did, even though they were already accused of several things. For him, the integrity of the process is more important than power,’ he added.
During a joint hearing of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology and the Committee on Finance on Senator Bam Aquino’s Senate Bill No. 1330, or the Philippine National Budget Blockchain Act, Magalong was invited to share his concerns regarding the budget.
In his speech, Magalong touched on his short-lived stint at the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), before tackling Co’s recent resignation and Garbin’s description of it as a ‘sacrifice.’
‘They did not even think of the people. It’s even insulting because lately someone said this about the involved Congressman Zaldy Co that ‘he did not abandon it, it was a sacrifice.’ My God, you stole (from the fund) of the people and you will say it was a sacrifice on your part? And it is not an abandonment?’ Magalong asked.
‘Is that how low our standards in Congress are, Mr. Chair? Is that how shameless we are right now? Are we numb, extremely callous, and hypocrites that we insult the mentality of the Filipino people?’ he added.
According to Garbin, if that is how Magalong speaks, he should also address accusations that a company owned by the Discayas-allegedly involved in the kickback scheme and substandard infrastructure projects-was able to secure projects in Baguio.
‘And if that is the standard Mayor Magalong wants, he should also be ready to answer for the P110 million Discaya project, which many directly accuse him of being responsible for,’ the lawmaker said in Filipino
‘It is not right to be strict with others but remain silent when your own name is implicated. So before he judges and speaks harshly against others, it would be better for him to face and clear that issue first,’ he added.
Last Monday, Co announced on his Facebook page that he is stepping down from his post with a heavy heart, attaching copies of his letter to Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III.
According to Co, he is leaving the House of Representatives due to threats to his and his family’s lives and the alleged denial of due process.
He added that the party-list will inform the House who will replace him to fill one of the two seats allocated for the group.
Co is currently out of the country for what he said was a health procedure in the United States. However, Dy officially revoked Co’s travel clearance on September 18, asking Co to return within 10 days to answer allegations linking him to questionable budget insertions and contractors handling public works projects.
Co is facing issues regarding the 2025 national budget and the infrastructure project scandal.
At a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, contractor couple Pacifico ‘Curlee’ Discaya and Sarah Discaya named several lawmakers who allegedly requested and received kickbacks from infrastructure projects after their firms secured government contracts.
Curlee Discaya also claimed that lawmakers demanded a 25 percent cut for Co and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
Co and Romualdez denied the accusations.
Last Tuesday, Henry Alcantara and Brice Hernandez, former officials of the Bulacan First District Engineering Office, also implicated Co and other lawmakers in the alleged kickback scheme for infrastructure projects.
Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco, meanwhile, accused Co, former chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, of masterminding insertions and realignments in the 2025 national budget, much of which allegedly went to flood control.
Tiangco also filed an ethics complaint against the former Ako Bicol lawmaker.
Co disputed the allegations, saying he will respond to them in the proper forum./mcm