Press Officer of Malacañang Calls Zaldy Co’s Statements “Comedy Series”
Malacañang reacted to the corruption accusations of Zaldy Co against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Zaldy Co tagged Marcos Jr. and Romualdez in the corruption issues in the country. Currently, he is still in an undisclosed country abroad claiming that he refuses to return to the Philippines for his safety. He recently released videos wherein he expressed his accusations against the President and the former House Speaker.
According to Zaldy Co, Pres. Bongbong Marcos and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez allegedly ordered a P100-billion insertion in the 2025 budget. He also claimed that Marcos Jr. and Romualdez supposedly received a P56 billion kickback from the projects funded by the government.
According to Co, the claims of the witnesses to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) that he allegedly got a P21 billion kickback is supposedly not true. The resigned Ako Bicol Partylist Representative said the amount was allegedly P56 billion and it supposedly went to Marcos Jr. and Romualdez. He also claimed that he did not receive a part from the supposed P100 billion budget insertion.
The claims of Zaldy Co earned different reactions from the Filipino people as well as some government officials. Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson previously stressed that the statement of Co was made not under the oath. Malacañang also called on Co to return to the country and testify under oath.
However, Zaldy Co claimed that he was alleged warned by former Speaker Martin Romualdez that he will shoot him if he will talk. According to him, Romualdez supposedly called him and threatened him not to return to the country or he might get killed. Recently, Malacañang reacted to the claim of the resigned Ako Bicol Partylist Representative.
“Unang-una, dapat ipakita niya muna ang ebidensiya niya kung talagang nasaan ‘yung threat. Sabi niya, as early as March 2025 may threat na siya — bakit hindi man lang ito umalingawngaw?” she said.
Based on a post of News5 on social media, Atty. Claire Castro also claimed that Zaldy Co allegedly has no evidence in his accusations. Amid the accusations of Co against Pres. Bongbong Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez, the Malacañang press official called the claims of Co as “comedy series”.
“’Yan ang problema sa tahi-tahing kasinungalingan ni Zaldy Co. Walang ebidensiya na maipakita, puro basa ng script lang. Ang exposé na inaasahan ng mga kaalyado niya ay naging comedy series na,” the Palace official said based on the post.
According to Malacañang press officer undersecretary Claire Castro, the ones involved allegedly want to stop the investigation so Co allegedly made up stories to implicate the President. Some known personalities reacted to the issue — GMA News personality Susan Enriquez slammed Zaldy Co and called him a thief.