Malacañang on Friday belied the accusations made by former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and urged the ex-lawmaker to return to the country.
These remarks followed Co’s statements earlier in the day, claiming that Marcos himself ordered him to stay out of the Philippines and that he was assured that he would be well taken care of.
‘These wild accusations are completely without basis and fact. All the charges leveled against the president are pure hearsay,’ said Presidential Communications Office Acting Secretary Dave Gomez in a briefing.
‘Let us not forget – President Marcos Jr. himself exposed all these flood control anomalies and has taken numerous steps since to ensure that the guilty are brought to justice, the stolen wealth recovered, and the system is fixed to avoid any of these from happening again,’ Gomez gave the reminder.
The Palace has been maintaining this position since the start of the flood-control investigations.
Gomez then urged Co to come back to the country and sign everything he said under oath with the proper judicial authorities.
Diversionary tactics, false narratives
For her part, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro pointed out that Co’s involvement in the flood-control mess is reflected in his wealth.
The involvement of Zaldy Co’s name is a result of evidence, testimonies and his alleged enrichments that can be seen in the properties they have built,’ she said.
Since his world is allegedly getting smaller, Castro said the ex-lawmaker has no choice but to save himself and name-drop people even without basis.
‘To save himself from the accusation of stealing from the public treasury and to make it appear that he is the victim, he will fabricate a false story against someone else,’ the Palace official said.
‘He will point to someone else beside himself, even though his property and that of his family scream evidence against him,’ she added.
She also called on the ex-lawmaker to prove his statement that there is a threat to his life.
Meanwhile, Castro urged the Office of the Ombudsman to speed up the processing of complaints against Co because the government cannot cancel Co’s passport unless there is a case filed against him.
‘If they [Ombudsman] can recommend whatever they can, for dismissal or for filing of the case to the Sandiganbayan, I hope it will be expedited because the people are also waiting for quick action,’ she said.
In a video statement, Co said he was set to return to the Philippines after his medical check-up abroad but he was asked by then-House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to remain overseas, following Marcos’ directives.
‘To every Filipino, I know your anger toward me is strong right now. I also understand why, especially with so much at stake. But before you judge, allow me to explain the full truth,’ Co said in a video, speaking in Filipino.
‘I stayed silent for a long time because I was given a direct order: ‘Do not return to the Philippines and just stay quiet,’ the resigned lawmaker had revealed.
‘I left on July 19, 2025, for my medical check-up, planning to return after the president’s SONA. But as I was about to come back, former Speaker Martin Romualdez called me and said to stay out of the country, and that I would be well taken care of as instructed by the president,’ he added in Filipino.
Co said he broke his months-long silence, as he feels he is being used as a scapegoat.