Marilyn Cahatol

Some dates of Co’s supposed cash deliveries 'contradict' his narrative on alleged 2025 budget insertions — Lacson

Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co. House of Representatives

Article (news)

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176318914417020251114-ako-bicol-rep-zaldy-co-HOR.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co. House of Representatives "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co. <em>House of Representatives </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (UPDATED) — Several dates on supposed cash deliveries to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez “contradict” former House Appropriations Committee Chairperson Zaldy Co’s narration on the alleged P100 billion in insertions in the 2025 national budget, Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairperson Panfilo Lacson said.</p><p>In a video released Friday, Co claimed that “it all started” when Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman supposedly called him to relay the President’s “instructions” to “insert” P100 billion worth of projects in the 2025 budget. Co said the call was made last year, “when the bicam process started”.</p><p>The bicameral conference committee deliberations on the conflicting provisions of the proposed 2025 national budget started in November 2024.</p><p>In a video released Saturday, Co claimed that “after the approval of the 2025 budget”, he asked the Department of Public Works and Highways how much “SOP” or kickback was given to the Office of the President. Co said he was told it was 25%, or P25 billion of the P100 billion alleged insertions.</p><p>The Senate and the House of Representatives approved the bicam report on the proposed 2025 national budget on December 11, 2024. Nearly three weeks later, or on December 30, 2024, the President signed the 2025 budget law or the General Appropriations Act.</p><p>“After ng approval sa budget sa General Appropriations Act of 2025, nagtanong po ako sa DPWH kung magkano ang kailangan na ibigay sa Office of the President o ang SOP na bigayan. Sinagot sa akin ay 25%. Ang ibig sabihin nito 25% ng P100 billion ang SOP na kailangan ibigay kay BBM mismo. In total, P25 billion ang napunta kay Pangulong Bongbong Marcos,” Co claimed.</p><p>Co further claimed that he and his men made the cash deliveries to the residences of the Marcos Jr. and Romualdez. He showed photos of luggage as supposed “proof”. The photos were labeled “cash out”, the number of luggage, and the date of the supposed “cash out”.</p><p>Some dates in the label, however, were as far back as “January 8, 2024”, “May 1, 2024”, “June 3, 2024”, and “June 27, 2024”.</p><p>These “cash out” dates were before the call that Pangandaman supposedly made in November, when Co said he first learned about the alleged instruction to make the P100 billion insertion in the budget.</p><p>They were also ahead of the Department of Budget and Management’s July 2024 turnover to Congress of the 2025 National Expenditure Program, which is the basis of the budget bill.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/11/14/-pure-hearsay-malaca-ang-disputes-zaldy-co-s-accusations-vs-marcos-pangandaman-1731"><strong>‘Pure hearsay’: Malacañang disputes Zaldy Co’s accusations vs Marcos, Pangandaman</strong></a></div><p>“While he talks of the 2025 GAA, several dates of the supposed deliveries were done in 2024 which obviously contradicts his narration about the insertions in the 2025 GAA,” Lacson pointed out.</p><p>The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairperson urged Co to make his testimony under oath in order to make it valid and have probative value.</p><p>Co resigned as congressman last September and has yet to return to the Philippines, after being accused of “masterminding” billions of pesos in flood control and other infra budget insertions in the 2025 budget.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/11/14/lacson-says-zaldy-co-s-corruption-claims-lack-weight-without-oath-1903"><strong>Lacson says Zaldy Co’s corruption claims lack weight without oath</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WabCJ3srCVg?si=8eP3XCRLzHNbkgYS" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Some dates on supposed cash deliveries for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former House speaker Martin Romualdez “contradict” former House Appropriations Committee Chairperson Zaldy Co’s narration on the alleged P100 billion insertions in the 2025 national budget, according to Sen. Ping Lacson.</p>

Some dates on supposed cash deliveries for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former House speaker Martin Romualdez “contradict” former House Appropriations Committee Chairperson Zaldy Co’s narration on the alleged P100 billion insertions in the 2025 national budget, according to Sen. Ping Lacson.

Some dates on Zaldy Co’s supposed cash deliveries 'contradict' his narrative, Lacson says

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Some dates on Zaldy Co’s supposed cash deliveries 'contradict' his narrative, Lacson says

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 15, 2025 04:00 PM PHT

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Updated November 15, 2025 04:47 PM PHT

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