House of Representatives Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos has disputed former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co’s claims that he had insertions in the 2025 national budget, adding that they received intelligence reports that the ex-solon is working with people who are trying to bring down the government.
Marcos, in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday, said that Co – whom he called the ‘newly crowned champion’ of diehard Duterte supporters (DDS) – is fantastical and false, claiming that the former lawmaker is only out to destabilize the government.
According to Marcos, it seems the escape that Co sees is to bring down the government so that he can be absolved of his crimes.
‘Anyone can sit in front of a camera from abroad and spew lies. The statements from the newly crowned champion of the DDS cabal, former Congressman Zaldy Co, are frankly as fantastical as they are false. I hope that the public can be reminded that we are talking of a person with no credibility whose vested interests are to release these videos to destabilize the government,’ Marcos said.
‘Evidently, the only path he sees for himself is one where he stirs political chaos in the hope of escaping his own legal troubles. He wants to bring down the current administration so that he can be absolved of his crimes. In fact, the intel suggests he already struck a deal with those who stand to benefit from such a change,’ he added.
Earlier, Co released the second part of his three-part video, claiming that aside from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Chief Executive’s son – Majority Leader Marcos – also ordered P50 billion-worth of insertions in the 2025 national budget.
Marcos also disputed another allegation from Co – that the latter was removed from his post as House committee on appropriations chairperson last January 2025, during the 19th Congress, because Marcos was mad at him for not delivering enough funds.
The majority leader explained that the decision to remove him as chairperson was done by Congress collegially – and it was because House lawmakers during the 19th Congress ‘caught wind of his insatiable greed and corruption.’
‘Congress is a collegial body and decisions are made through a process of election. Zaldy Co was removed as appropriations chairman because members caught wind of his insatiable greed and corruption. Not because of the whim of any individual,’ Marcos said.
‘The ‘sagasa’ that he orchestrated in certain districts such as Bulacan and other municipalities speak for themselves. To my fellow Filipinos, Zaldy Co is not a journalist or a truth crusader. He is a criminal evading justice. Let us not be fooled by this man. This is not a revelation, this is destabilization,’ he added.
Co has been out of the country even before the flood control mess unfolded, but the former lawmaker broke his silence last November 14, accusing President Marcos, former members of his cabinet, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez of being behind insertions in the 2025 national budget.
In the first set of videos released by Co, he claimed that President Marcos, through former Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, ordered the insertion of P100 billion for infrastructure projects in the 2025 budget.
Co said Pangandaman instructed him to place P100 billion worth of insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). After he supposedly confirmed the directive with Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin, Co said he told Romualdez – Marcos’ cousin – about this instruction.
He also backed statements made by a Senate witness that money in luggage was delivered to Marcos and Romualdez.
But Co’s statements have been questioned by several individuals, even by some critics of the current administration. Two college professors – Professor Antonio Contreras and former Finance Undersecretary Cielo Magno – found a flaw in Co’s claims, noting that the President himself could have done the insertions himself if he wanted to.
There were also concerns as to whether the order indeed came from President Marcos as Co in his statements never said that he got to speak to Marcos directly. On Monday, President Marcos urged Co to come home and testify against him, noting that he has nothing to hide.