The Office of the Ombudsman on Saturday called on former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co to submit his statements formally instead of bypassing proper channels in dropping bombshell information about high-ranking officials, including President Marcos, being involved with the anomalous flood control projects.
The graftbuster guaranteed the safety of Co should he decide to reveal everything to the Office of the Ombudsman, but said all information will be evaluated, including witnesses and its credibility.
Co, in a five-minute video clip sent to reporters and uploaded on social media, accused the President and former Speaker Martin Romualdez of making ‘insertions’ worth P100 billion for public works in the 2025 annual budget.
He also claimed that the Marcos administration was using its resources to ‘silence me.’
For the ombudsman, Co should have submitted himself to the formal processes of institutions which would undergo deliberate work, careful work and even ‘painfully slow work,’ to ensure justice will be served.
‘We say this without prejudice, without hostility-but with deep frustration,’ the ombudsman said in a public statement. ‘Every time a witness chooses the stage instead of the sworn desk, the investigation is forced to pause, to verify, to sift through what is said and what is left unsaid.’
The ombudsman stressed that it already extended the opportunity for Co to cooperate, insisting that he come home and finally submit his evidence.
‘Instead, we are forced to piece together fragments from videos-fragments that carry weight, yes, but cannot stand alone in a court of law,’ the office said. ‘The path to the truth is here. It has always been here.’
The ombudsman then reiterated its calls to Co to submit his statements under oath and through proper channels, ‘so they may be examined with the seriousness they deserve.’
‘If the intention is to help uncover the truth, then let us pursue it in the manner that leads to real and enforceable accountability-not through spectacle, but through the rules that govern us all,’ it also said.