House of Representatives Secretary General Cheloy Garafil has been formally directed to drop former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co from the roll, after his resignation was brought to the plenary.
During the House’s session on Thursday, which lapsed to early Friday morning, Assistant Majority Leader and Sultan Kudarat 2nd District Rep. Bella Vanessa Suansing moved to take up additional reference of business.
After reading House Resolution No. 326 which expresses the House’s condolences to victims of the Cebu earthquake, Garafil then said that there is a letter from Co about his resignation.
‘Communication dated September 29, 2025, from Honorable Elizaldy S. Co, Representative of Ako Bicol party-list, addressed to the House of Representatives, regarding resignation letter-reply to the 22 September 2025 letter-complaint,’ Garafil read.
After Suansing said that the House committee on rules has received the letter, Deputy Speaker Janette Garin, who was presiding over the session directed Garafil to drop Co from the roll.
‘In view of the resignation of Representative Elizaldy S. Co, the Secretary General is hereby directed to drop Representative Co from the roll of members of the House of Representatives. So ruled,’ Garin said.
Last Monday, Co said 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. Later on, Co’s office confirmed that the beleaguered lawmaker has relinquished his seat in the 20th Congress.
According to Co, he is leaving the House due to the threat to his and his family’s life, and the alleged denial to accord him due process.
Co said 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 last September 18 officially revoked Co’s travel clearance, asking him to come home within 10 days to answer allegations linking him to questionable budget insertions and contractors doing public works projects. Co is currently facing a myriad of issues regarding the 2025 national budget and the infrastructure project scandal. At the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, contractor-couple Pacifico and Sarah Discaya named several lawmakers who allegedly asked for and received kickbacks from infrastructure projects, after their firms were able to bag government contracts.
Pacifico also claimed that lawmakers asked for a 25 percent cut for Co and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
Both Co and Romualdez denied the accusations.
Last Tuesday, Henry Alcantara and Brice Hernandez, former officials of the Bulacan first district engineering office tagged Co and other lawmakers as allegedly involved in the kickbacks scheme for infrastructure projects. Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco meanwhile accused Co, as former chairperson of the House committee on appropriations, of masterminding insertions and realignments in the 2025 national budget, bulk of which supposedly went to flood control.
It was also Tiangco who filed an ethics complaint against the former Ako Bicol solon.
Co was also criticized because company with ties to him figured as one of the top 15 contractors for flood control projects. Co disputed these allegations, saying that he will answer these at the proper forum.