Zaldy Co tags Marcos, Romualdez in alleged P100-B budget 'insertions'

Former Ako Bicol party-list Representative Zaldy Co has accused President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr and his cousin, former Speaker Martin Romualdez, and some Cabinet members of orchestrating supposed "insertions" worth P100 billion in the national budget.

"Nagsimula ito noong tumawag si (Budget) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman sa akin noong nag-umpisa ang bicam budget process last year, 2024... Ang sabi niya, katatapos lang ng meeting nila ni Pangulo at may instructions na mag-insert o magpasok ng 100 billion worth of projects sa bicam. At sinabi pa ni Secretary Menah, you can confirm with Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin dahil magkasama sila sa meeting ni Pangulong BBM (Bongbong Marcos) noong araw na ‘yon,” Co said in a video released by his camp to reporters on Friday.

(It started when Amenah Pangandaman called me when the bicam process started last year, 2024. She said she had just finished a meeting with the President and had instructions to insert 100 billion worth of projects to the budget through the bicam. Secretary Menah also said that I can confirm it with Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin because he was in a meeting with the President.)

He said he immediately called Bersamin, who is with the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO), to confirm the supposed instruction of the President and he answered in the affirmative.He then called Romualdez to relay the information.

"Tinawagan ko po si dating Speaker Martin Romualdez at nireport ko ang instructions ng Presidente to insert the P100 billion projects. At sinabi niya (Romualdez) sa akin, what the President wants, he gets,” Co added.

The video sent to reporters was also posted on Co’s X’s verified account.

Hearsay

Later in the day, Malacañang dismissed Co’s accusations against the President as hearsay.

“These wild accusations are completely without basis and fact. All the charges leveled against the President are pure hearsay,” said Presidential Communications Office Secretary Dave Gomez.

“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 said.

Gomez added that Co “should come back to the country and sign everything he said under oath with the proper judicial authorities.”

GMA News Online has reached out to Romualdez and Pangandaman for their comments but they have yet to reply as of posting time.

Brown leather bag

Co also said that, after a few days, he had a meeting with Pangandaman, Bersamin, Romualdez, and Justice Undersecretary Jojo Cadiz in the Aguado building in front of Gate 4 in Malacañang.

“During the meeting, binigay po ni Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin ang listahan na worth P100 billion. Tinanong ko po si Undersecretary Adrian kung saan galing ang listahan. Ang sagot niya, galing kay PBBM (President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos) mismo at binigay niya ito mula sa brown leather bag,” he said.

(During the meeting, Bersamin gave the list of P100 billion worth of projects. I asked Bersamin where ithe list came from and he said from no less than the President and he took it from the brown leather bag.)

“Nung sinabi po ni Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin 'yung brown leather bag, naalala ko noong nasa Singapore kami, right after the elections of May 2022 sa Hilton Hotel, kami ni dating Speaker Martin and PBBM, habang pauwi at pabalik ng Pilipinas, hinabol ang PSG ang brown leather bag at ang sabi ni PBBM, maiwan na lahat, huwag lang ang brown leather bag. Kaya naniwala ako na utos talaga ito ng Pangulo," Co added.

(When Bersamin mentioned the brown leather bag, I remembered when we were in Singapore, right after the elections of May 2022, at the Hilton Hotel, Romualdez, PBBM, and I, the PSG gave PBBM a brown leather bag and he said he can leave everything else except the brown leather bag. That's why I really believe that the instruction was from the President.)

Reduced insertion

Ultimately, Co said the P100 billion insertion under the 2025 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was reduced to P50 billion since sticking with the P100  billion plan would make the DPWH’s budget bigger than the Department of Education (DepEd), a situation that would be in violation of the Constitution.

“Pagkatapos ng ilang araw, I informed sina dating Speaker Martin Romualdez, Secretary Menah Pangandaman, Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin, and Undersecretary Jojo Cadiz, na kung pwede P50 billion lang ang ipasok sa programmed funds kasi hindi pwede na mas malaki ang budget ng DPWH kaysa edukasyon, at yung balance na P50 billion, ilagay na lang sa unprogrammed funds for the 2025 budget dahil Office of the President din ang nagre-release ng lahat ng unprogrammed funds,” Co said.

(After a few days, I informed Romualdez, Pangandaman, Bersamin, and Cadiz if we can reduce the insertions to the programmed funds to P50 billion because the DPWH budget should not be higher than the education budget. And the other P50 billion be put on the unprogrammed funds since it is the Office of the President that release it.)
 

“Pagkatapos ng isang araw, tinawagan ako ni Secretay Menah at sinabi niya, ang mensahe ng Pangulo, ipasok ninyo ‘yan dahil pinangako na sa akin ni Speaker Martin ‘yan at hindi na pwedeng baguhin. Kumbaga, ang utos ng hari hindi pwedeng mabali," said Co. 

(A day after, Secretary Menah called me and said the President's message is to make the insertions because Speaker Martin already promised that and it can no longer be changed. It's as if you cannot go against the order of the king.)

He said he informed Romualdez about it and the latter told him that they cannot do anything but to follow the instructions.

"Kaya po nagtataka ako kung bakit sinasabi ni Pangulo na hindi niya makilala ang budget. Samantalang….lahat na binawas at dinagdag sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno ay humihingi ng approval sa kanya si [DBM] Secretary Pangandaman (That's why I'm puzzled when the President said he cannot recognize the budget. Pangandaman sought his approval for the reductions and additions in the budget of government agencies,” he added.

Co, whose whereabouts is still undisclosed, said he needs to do such tell-all since the administration is unfairly using him as a punching bag for the government’s anti-corruption drive.

He said he was only being a good soldier who followed orders to his own detriment.

Co, meanwhile, also said that the government is in "full force to silence him."

"Ginawa ko lang ang utos sa akin, pero ngayon, handa akong harapin ang lahat. Ginagamit ng administrasyon ang buong resources ng bansa para tumahimik ako. That he will shoot me if I will talk. Gagamitin ako bilang panakip butas sa kanilang kampanya laban sa korapsyon," Co said. 

(The administration is using the entire resources of the country to keep me quiet. That he will shoot me if I will talk. I will be used as a cover for a hole in their campaign against corruption.)

The resigned lawmaker said he was supposed to return to the country after the President's State of the Nation Address last July 28 from a medical check up in the United States, but Romualdez stopped him from going home and assured him that he will be "taken care of."

"Habang papauwi na ako, tinawagan ako ni dating Speaker Martin Romualdez at sinabihan, stay out of the country. You will be well taken care of as instructed by the President. Noon naniniwala pa ako sa kanila kaya't hindi ako bumalik. Tumikom ang aking bibig. Sumunod ako. Pero ang hindi ko alam, ang ibig pala nilang sabihin sa aalagaan ka namin ay gagamitin ako bilang panakip-butas sa kanilang kampanya laban sa korapsyon. Ginawa nila akong poster boy ng kanilang sariling kasinungalingan. Ngayon, hindi na ako mananahimik, ilalabas ko ang lahat ng katotohanan. May resibo, may ebidensya at may pangalan,” Co added.

(When I was supposed to return, Romualdez called me and told me to stay out of the country. You will be well taken care of as instructed by the President. I believed them before that's why I did not return to the country. I kept my mouth shut. I followed them. But what I did not know was when they said they will take care of me, they meant they will use me as a cover for their campaign against corruption. They used me as a poster boy for their lies. Now, I will no longer be silent, I will tell the truth. I have receipts, evidence, and names.)

Marcos, Romualdez

On Thursday, Marcos  said that Romualdez has ''not yet'' been included in the case referrals made by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure.

Marcos, however, said that "If something else comes out, then he (Romualdez) might be answerable for something."

The President first slammed the shamelessness of corrupt government officials and contractors in his fourth State of the Nation Address in July, stating that he personally found out that some flood control projects were poorly done or non-existent.

Last month, Marcos Jr. on said exposing the corruption and irregularities in flood control projects was nothing political. 

"Why would I even start such a thing if somehow it’s for political advantage. The reason I brought it up and made it part of the national discourse was quite simply because this could not go on,” Marcos said in an episode of BBM Podcast. —VAL/RSJ, GMA Integrated News