Senate to issue show cause order vs Zaldy Co, Orly Guteza

The Senate blue ribbon committee on Monday ordered the issuance of a show cause order against resigned Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co and “whistleblower” Orly Guteza.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, directed the Senate Secretariat to issue the order, after Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III asked who did not respond to the subpoenas earlier issued by the upper chamber. 

“Those who did not respond…perhaps we may discuss it with the members of the committee for us to either ask for a show cause or issue a warrant of arrest for not responding to the subpoena of the Senate. We’ve done this before numerous times,” Sotto said. 

Lacson said that all those who received a subpoena are present in the ongoing hearing, except for Co and Guteza. He said that both individuals did not send any representatives, as well. 

Both Co and Guteza were issued subpoenas ad testificandum, which were signed by Sotto, to attend the resumption of the flood control hearing. 

In November 2025, arrest warrants were issued against Co and others, including officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and directors of Sunwest Corp. over alleged anomalous flood control projects.

The Ombudsman also filed with the Sandiganbayan corruption and malversation of public funds charges against Co and others.

These charges were in connection with the alleged anomalous P289 million flood control project in Oriental Mindoro. Co has denied the allegations against him. 

Meanwhile, Guteza had claimed that he personally delivered suitcases of money to the residences of Romualdez and Co. He was introduced in a flood control hearing on September 25 by Senator Rodante Marcoleta, through the help of erstwhile Anakalusagan party-List representative Mike Defensor.

Both Romualdez and Co have denied allegations that they were linked in the flood control scandal.

Atty. Petchie Rose Espera, the lawyer whose notarial information appeared on the affidavit of Guteza, had denied that she signed it, and that the document number, page number, and book number shown in the document do not exist in her notarial records.

She thus said that the documents presented by Guteza before the Senate blue ribbon committee have no legislative purpose and offer no value to the investigation on the anomalous flood control projects.

In his opening statement, Lacson also made a stern warning to “detractors and hijackers” of the Blue Ribbon Committee. 

“Your noise will not silence the truth. Neither does it provide any help in our investigation. Your noise cannot convict and won’t even indict the malefactors in this flood control mess. Only evidence does,” the senator said. 

“With all that being said, as the Chairman of this committee, I say to you—Shut the f… up!”

Among those present in the hearing are former DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan, Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste, and former DPWH-Bulacan 1st district engineers. —AOL, GMA Integrated News