By Tracy Cabrera
FORMER congressman Elizaldy ‘Zaldy’ Co’s latest video—where he drags First Lady Marie Louise ‘Liza’ Araneta-Marcos and her brother into supposed rice and onion cartels—has triggered another wave of headlines and this time, he expanded his accusations to include President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. and his son, House Senior Deputy Majority Leader Sandro Marcos.
But as in his previous videos, the claims arrive without evidence and observers quickly pointed out inconsistencies in them.
Agriculture secretary Francisco Laurel Tiu Jr. dismissed Co’s accusations as baseless, calling them “total baloney” and “a script fit for Netflix” even as he clarified that the only accurate part of Co’s claims was the discussion on lowering rice import tariffs—a proposal raised by several officials and not just Co, who actually recommended zero tariff, not 15 percent. Secretary Tiu also rejected the former Ako Bicol party-list representative’s insinuations of manipulation and alleged involvement of the First Lady’s family, stressing that all other allegations on rice, onion, fish and sugar importation were “definitely nonsense.”
Co’s latest video also claimed that Sandro Marcos “ordered” around ₱51 billion in budget insertions from 2023 to 2025—an allegation the president’s son has firmly denied, tagging the claims “lies” and part of a destabilization effort.
He further tied these claims to supposed monthly remittances demanded by former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, again without presenting any document, message or record to support the allegations. According to civic leader Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia, chairman emeritus of the Alyansa ng Bantay sa Kapayapaan at Demokrasya (ABKD), People’s Alliance for Democracy and Reforms (PADER), Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI) and Filipinos Do Not Yield (FDNY) Movement, Co’s expanded accusations follow the same pattern: serious charges stated on video but with no evidence offered publicly.
“Accusations without proof are not whistleblowing. They are distractions and distractions become dangerous when the public is fed with misinformation,” Goitia meaningfully pointed out.
Earlier, President Marcos Jr. brushed aside Co’s narration his attempt to blackmail the former sectoral member of the House to firmly declare: “I do not negotiate with criminals.”
His former colleagues likewise questioned Co’s credibility. In his official statement, Majority Leader Sandro Marcos reminded the public that the ex-Ako Bicol representative “has no credibility and is attempting to destabilize the government” even as he stressed that spreading lies from abroad does not turn fiction into truth.
PBBM’s son noted that Co is “a criminal evading accountability, a fugitive from justice—not a crusader.” Goitia reinforced this message, saying, “anyone who claims to hold the truth should be willing to face the law.
Real testimony is given before institutions, not in videos filmed from hiding.” Moreover, the civic leader cited Co’s statements continuing to contradict each other: In past videos, he alternated between claiming he delivered funds and saying he received none. Now he accuses new personalities, including the First Family, again without presenting documents, dates, messages or any verifiable evidence.
In ending, Goitia asserted that “when (a) story keeps changing but no evidence appears, credibility collapses.”
“So far, Co has produced no documents, no directives, no messages and no corroborating testimonies. His allegations grow more dramatic, but they never become more credible. Truth does not hide from scrutiny. Until evidence is shown under oath, these remain stories, not facts,” he concluded.
