House 'compelled' to invite Zaldy Co if links found in anomalous projects —Ridon

The House three-panel probe on anomalous flood control projects will invite personalities to the investigation, including Ako-Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, if there is verifiable information linking the former appropriations chair to some of them. 

“If there is a showing that there is an anomalous transaction, anomalous contract, anomalous project, substandard or ghost project to a company that is linked to him, then of course we will be compelled to invite him,” House Committee on Public Accounts and Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon told reporters.

Ridon was responding to queries in connection with Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco’s allegation that Co supposedly pushed for billions worth of budget items for infrastructure projects under the 2025 national budget and during his term as House appropriations panel chairperson.

Ridon, however, said that Tiangco’s concerns may be best addressed by the House Committee on Appropriations and not the House three-panel joint probe on the alleged anomalous flood control projects.

“The Appropriations Committee is probably a good committee for it, if he wants to reform the budget process. I’m not quite certain how this [position of Congressman Tiangco] is relevant on flood control,” explained Ridon.

“We have to be very clear that what the nation wants is really to have actual accountability on what had happened in some standard and ghost projects. Issues relating to budget insertion, congressional initiatives, will have its day. Because this [is]an investigation on actual flood control projects,” added Ridon.

"It is just Congressman Tiangco raising it. If he actually wants to do it, he should file an actual resolution looking into this budget insertion."

GMA News Online has reached out to Co for comment on the allegations but he has yet to reply as of posting time.

Going forward, Ridon said that the House joint panel will probe the flood control projects visited by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. which the Chief Executive found to be substandard to ascertain the liability of individuals involved.

“That would be the logical flow of the investigation.  After the Executive branch visits it, it can be the legislature's job to complete the entire picture. Because when the President visited, the story was still incomplete there, as we have seen,” Ridon said.

Ridon was referring to the admission of former Bulacan 1st district engineer Henry Alcantara during Tuesday’s flood control probe in the House that he issued a certificate of completion on the P55 million flood control project in Baliwag, Bulacan which turned out to be a ghost project. —VAL, GMA Integrated News