Nelson Morales

Puno blames Zaldy Co, Chiz Escudero for 2025 budget controversy

Article (news)

David Dizon

ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATED) -- House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno on Wednesday blamed Senate President Chiz Escudero and former House appropriations committee chairman Zaldy Co for the 2025 budget controversy, which included insertions for various infrastructure projects. Speaking to ANC&#x27;s Headstart, Puno said the 4-man &quot;small committee&quot;, which reviews and resolves the proposed individual amendments of congressmen on the proposed national budget, was composed of Co, Escudero, Speaker Martin Romualdez and Sen. Grace Poe. &quot;This is where the insertions are put in,&quot; he said. Puno, however, said Romualdez did not attend the small committee meetings while Poe &quot;was not allowed to attend most of those meetings.&quot; &quot;It ended up Zaldy Co and Senate President Escudero were the ones who actually penciled in whatever needed to be pencled in at the end…It was the two that actually finalized those things,&quot; he said. He added: &quot;The version they sent back to the House already included all the insertions.&quot; Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco earlier said Zaldy Co, the former chairperson of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations, <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/8/zaldy-co-proposed-p13-8-b-insertions-for-flood-control-other-infra-in-2025-budget-1142">proposed P13.8 billion in budget insertions</a> that included funds for flood control and other infrastructure projects in the bicameral conference committee version of the 2025 budget. Co is being tied to Sunwest Inc., the conglomerate that is one of 15 government contractors that bagged P100 billion in flood control projects from 2022-2025. In the interview, the Deputy Speaker backed an investigation of Co, saying the lawmaker should answer all allegations about the budget. &quot;He should be brought back, forcibly if necessary,&quot; he said amid news that Co is in the United States. He noted there are 20,000 DPWH projects in the 2025 national budget, which was earlier described by an ex-finance official as &quot;<a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JusrRn9Kpk">the most corrupt [budget] in Philippine history</a>.&quot; &quot;I could not for the life of me find my own projects in my own district in the General Appropriations Bill. That is how complicated it is,&quot; Puno said. He said the revelations could have triggered the recent shakeup in the Senate leadership, which saw Escudero replaced by Sen. Tito Sotto as the new Senate President. Puno said the House Infra Committee inquiry is set to terminate its own investigation on the flood control mess and turn over its findings to the Independent Commission on Infrastructure. &quot;This is  not a legislative inquiry issue anymore, I think it is a criminal thing. Cases have to be filed,&quot; he said.<div> </div><div>ESCUDERO RESPONDS </div>Escudero reacted to Puno&#x27;s statements, claiming that the latter&#x27;s narrative risks misleading the public and undermining the integrity of ongoing investigations. &quot;Katawa-tawa naman ang ginagawa nila. Ang bilis naman nila i-abswelto si Speaker (Martin) Romualdez,  ilaglag si Rep. Zaldy Co, ilihis ang isyu at magtuturo ng iba,&quot; Escudero said in a statement. Escudero stressed that Puno has virtually absolved Romualdez from any involvement in the controversial flood control projects, particularly &quot;ghost&quot; projects. He said the real issue lies in the existence of ghost projects, substandard infrastructure, and kickbacks embedded in past budgets.&quot;Ang isyu ay ghost projects, substandard projects at mga kickback na karamihan ay nasa budget ng 2022, 2023 at 2024 at bago ang mga taong &#x27;yan, ayon mismo sa Commission on Audit (COA), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) at paglalahad ng whistleblowers,&quot; he said. &quot;Mag-ingat po tayo at huwag po magpadala sa dibersiyon at paglilihis na ito.&quot;<div> </div><div></div>

House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno on Wednesday blamed Senate President Chiz Escudero and former House appropriations committee chairman Zaldy Co for the 2025 budget controversy, which included insertions for various infrastructure projects.

House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno on Wednesday blamed Senate President Chiz Escudero and former House appropriations committee chairman Zaldy Co for the 2025 budget controversy, which included insertions for various infrastructure projects.