IN a dramatic escalation of accusations surrounding budget insertions, resigned Ako Bicol representative Zaldy Co has publicly claimed that presidential son and Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos was responsible for P50.9 billion in budget allocations.
In a video released on Tuesday, November 25, Co stated, “It’s not only the President who has insertions in the budget. Even Congressman Sandro Marcos puts something in every year.” He alleged that Sandro Marcos inserted P9.636 billion in 2023, P20.174 billion in 2024, and P21.127 billion in 2025, totaling P50.938 billion.
These accusations follow Co’s earlier claims linking President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former House speaker Martin Romualdez to alleged budget manipulations at the bicameral conference committee.
Co further claimed that Sandro Marcos threatened to remove him from his position and file multiple cases against him because Co was unable to accommodate an alleged P8-billion insertion requested by the President’s son. “The supposed reason was that some contractors already gave him advance payments, and because the full amount wasn’t included, he now has to return the money to them,” Co stated.
Sandro Marcos has vehemently denied these allegations, accusing Co of attempting to destabilize the current administration to evade justice for his own wrongdoings.
“Anyone can sit in front of a camera from abroad and spew lies,” Sandro Marcos said in a statement released on Tuesday afternoon. “The statements from the newly crowned champion of the DDS (Duterte Diehard Supporters) cabal, former Congressman Zaldy Co, are frankly as fantastical as they are false.”
Sandro Marcos portrayed Co as a “criminal who is evading justice” and asserted that Co was removed as House appropriations committee chairman because members “caught wind of his insatiable greed and corruption.”
The accusations and counter-accusations highlight a growing rift within the political landscape, raising questions about transparency and accountability in budget allocations.
metrosundaily
