Zaldy Co breaks silence on flood control mess

MANILA, November 15 ------ Former congressman Elizaldy Co on Friday broke his silence on the flood control scandal and claimed that he was used as a scapegoat.

Co said that he left the country for a medical checkup in July and had planned to go home after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address. But Co said then House Speaker Martin Romualdez supposedly told him in a phone call, “Stay out of the country. You will be well taken care of as instructed by the President.” “Noon naniniwala pa ako sa kanila, kaya 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 kung poster boy ng kanilang sariling kasinungalingan,” he said. “Ngayon, hindi na ako mananahimik, ilalabas ko ang lahat ng katotohanan. May resibo, may ebidensya, at may pangalan.” he added.

He claimed that at the start of the bicameral process in 2024, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman told him that she had just met with Marcos and supposedly instructed Co to insert around P100 billion worth of projects in the budget. Co said he verified the supposed instructions with Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin. “Right after our conversation, tinawagan ko po si Dating Speaker Martin Romualdez, at nireport ko ang instructions ng Presidente to insert the P100 billion projects, at sinabi niya sa akin ‘What the President wants, he gets,’” he said. “Kaya po nagtataka ako kung bakit sinasabi ni Pangulo na hindi niya makilala ang budget, samantalang lahat na ibinawas at idinagdag sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno ay humihingi ng approval sa kanya si Sec. Mina Pangandaman,” Co added.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com