ASEANEWS HEADLINE-CORRUPTION | MANILA: Rep. Elizaldy Co/Zaldy resigns from House

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BREAKING: Rep. Zaldy Co resigns amid corruption controversy | ANC

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MANILA, Philippines —  Instead of returning to the country to face allegations of corruption tied to flood control projects, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co tendered his “irrevocable resignation” from the House of Representatives yesterday – the deadline set by Speaker Faustino Dy III for him to return home.

“On account of the real, direct, grave and imminent threat to the lives of my family members and me, and the evident denial of my right to due process of law, I am constrained to tender with immediate effect my irrevocable resignation as a member of the House of Representatives,” Co said.

In a three-page letter, which included his defense on the complaint filed against him before the House ethics and privileges committee, Co vowed to go after his colleague, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, for the suit.

“I am reserving my right to address the sham and baseless accusations made by Tiangco at the appropriate time and before the appropriate forum,” Co said.

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Ako Bicol’s second nominee Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr. will take Co’s seat as first nominee of the party list. Another member of the group will assume the second seat.

Dy said Co’s resignation saved him from facing the House ethics probe and possible expulsion.

Co described the ethics suit as “baseless,” particularly allegations that he was the brains behind the billions of pesos in budget insertions made in the 2025 General Appropriations Act. He stressed that the GAA was the product of bicameral deliberations and approval.

“I did not mastermind, tolerate or allow any supposed last-minute and realignments in the 2025 GAA. All items in the 2025 GAA, including those stated in the corresponding bicameral report, were approved at plenary sessions and following the collegial process of both houses of Congress,” he reiterated.

“It is improbable, if not absolutely impossible, that I, on my own, could make any supposed insertions without the knowledge or approval of the members of both chambers of Congress,” Co declared.

“The 2025 GAA was eventually signed into law by the President after what we, as members of the House, understood to be a thorough scrutiny by His Excellency of each and every item to ensure that everything is in order,” he added.

The former appropriations committee chair said it was “premature” for Tiangco and everybody else to conclude that the 2025 national budget was full of anomalies.

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He also defended his US trip where he sought medical treatment, adding there was no requirement for him to submit any medical records, contrary to what Tiangco had been saying.

“I have been consulting doctors abroad since mid-2024 and have been continuing to consult with them… there is no requirement for me to submit medical certificates when applying for a leave of absence. In fact, my requests for leave and travel orders have been approved in the past by the House without my having to submit medical certificates,” he said.

Co also refuted claims he and his family were guilty of flaunting their alleged ill-gotten wealth.

“Our lifestyles have not changed from before I became a public official up to now. My wife and children keep away from the media and they certainly do not display what we own to the public,” Co said.

Following Co’s resignation, Dy and House ethics and privileges committee chairman Rep. JC Abalos said the lower chamber can now focus on their mandate of passing the proposed 2026 national budget on time.

“It will now be up to the Department of Justice and the Independent Commission on Infrastructure on what they will do to former congressman Co. But he really has to return to the country,” Dy told reporters at a short briefing last night.

Dy said they were awaiting Co’s response to his Sept. 29 ultimatum and were willing to wait until midnight.

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“In effect, our committee already lost jurisdiction over his person,” Abalos said, which Dy also affirmed, stating that he already “accepted” the resignation. The Speaker said they tried to reach Co through his Ako Bicol colleague, Rep. Garbin, but to no avail.

Asked about the possibility that Co was only evading accountability, Abalos disagreed, pointing out that the ethics committee is not the only platform available for individuals to seek redress against erring House members.

“That (irrevocable resignation) doesn’t exempt him from any accountability. The ethics committee is not the only platform of justice,” he said.

Dy said they are not sure whether Co is in the country or still overseas, but pointed out that immigration records have shown he is still abroad.

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Co not coming home

Hours before Co submitted his resignation, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla expressed pessimism about Co’s return to the country.

“The way that everything is right now, I don’t think he goes home,” Remulla told reporters during his visit to the office of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) in Taguig yesterday.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has already requested the International Police Organization to issue a blue notice against Co, which will enable the Philippine government to “collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation,” according to the Interpol website.

Co has been absent since the 20th Congress opened in July. He is said to be receiving medical treatment abroad.

One of the first acts of House Speaker Dy was to revoke Co’s travel clearance and direct him to return on or before Sept. 28.

Remulla said his agency has received tips from informants about Co’s whereabouts, but he emphasized that the lawmaker couldn’t be arrested because no court has issued a warrant against him.

Once the Interpol grants the blue notice request, “we will know where he’s going,” the DOJ chief explained.

In his letter to Dy last week, Co assured the House leader of “having every intention of returning to the Philippines,” yet he did not specify when.

Co admitted his apprehension that the public and Dy’s office have prejudged him over his alleged involvement in the flood control mess. He added that his medical procedures overseas have long been scheduled.

“I hope that when I return to the Philippines, I will be afforded due process and that you will ensure the safety of my family and me,” Co wrote.

According to the Philippine National Police, Co’s security detail, composed of 10 personnel from the Police Security and Protection Group, had been withdrawn after he left the country.

“The recall is automatic once the VIP is out of the country,” PNP public information office chief Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño said at a press briefing. He added that police are still verifying Co’s current whereabouts.

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Complementary

Remulla and his top lieutenant, assistant secretary Mico Clavano, turned over relevant affidavits to the ICI as its probe enters its third week.

ICI executive director Brian Keith Hosaka said no roles are duplicated between the fact-finding body and law enforcement agencies.

“Close coordination with government agencies, whether legislative or investigative, is very valuable for us,” he said. “The more information that we get, the more basis we will have to file cases against those who are responsible for this mess.”

The ICI forwarded its initial findings to the ombudsman yesterday, recommending charges of graft, malversation and falsification of documents against at least 18 personalities over an anomalous flood project in Oriental Mindoro. Before proceeding there, the fact-finding body heard testimonies from dismissed Bulacan assistant engineers Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza.

Remulla expects that the ICI will spend most of its time coordinating with the ombudsman due to the involvement of public officials.

“They can go straight to the ombudsman or they can go to the Justice department for other complaints, but mostly with the ombudsman because there’s a working government person behind every transaction in every case,” he said.

To avoid undergoing legal complexities, the Justice department would mostly charge involved personalities with graft and corruption.

“Plunder is overrated as the only case,” Remulla said of would-be respondents. “What’s important is to put them behind bars in non-bailable cases.”

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Sara vs Romualdez

Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte yesterday said she was not surprised by corruption allegations against former speaker Martin Romualdez, claiming he has long been involved in various schemes, including illegal gambling and flood control projects.

Speaking to reporters after the Office of the Vice President’s budget hearing at the Senate, Duterte alleged that Romualdez and his camp had been receiving kickbacks not just from flood control projects but also from other illicit sources.

Duterte claimed her information came from individuals inside Romualdez’s own office, though she refused to name them.

The Vice President also commented on testimony in the Senate hearings that linked Romualdez and Co to alleged deliveries of bags of money worth billions of pesos.

She said she had long heard of such practices, even before she and President Marcos assumed office in 2022.

She drew a parallel to Romualdez’s alleged role in the controversial Okada casino case in the Philippines.

“It wasn’t odd for Martin Romualdez because he was already involved in heavy luggages in the Okada case. If you will remember, in the state of Delaware case in the United States, his name popped up and he was mentioned as having received money inside luggages,” she added.

Romualdez, for his part, refuted Duterte’s allegations.

“I heard the accusations. I will say it directly: there’s no truth that I received money from illegal gambling. These stories about ‘suitcases of cash’ are pure fiction. These are all products of pure imagination,” he said in a statement.

“It’s very easy to point an accusing finger and to make up stories – but they can’t even prove the truth. Until today, they have not shown any iota of evidence – these are all pure hearsay and it is only stated repetitively,” Romualdez added.

With regard to the issue on Okada/Delaware, Romualdez denied his participation, stressing that he was neither investigated nor named a defendant in the case.

“It saddens me that even the Vice President herself, who was the subject of an impeachment complaint on the basis of abuse in the use of funds, has been doing the rounds of making these lies public,” he said.

“When the source itself has lost credibility, why should anyone believe these baseless claims?” Romualdez noted. – EJ Macababbad, Neil Jayson Servallos, Mark Ernest

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