HOUSE LEADERS DISMISS ZALDY CO VIDEO, URGE HIM TO RETURN AND TESTIFY BEFORE ICI  

LEADERS of major political blocs in the House of Representatives on Monday dismissed former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co’s video message as having no legal value and urged him to return to the Philippines and testify under oath before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

According to representatives of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), National Unity Party (NUP), Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD), and Nacionalista Party (NP), Co’s video cannot substitute for sworn testimony before the ICI, which is investigating alleged irregularities in flood-control projects and 2025 budget insertions.

In a statement issued to the media, Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez of the PFP said his party fully supports Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III’s call for accountability and transparency, noting that the Speaker has already taken firm steps to compel Co’s return and ensure the allegations are investigated.

Hernandez pointed out that “from day one the Speaker has acted firmly and within the bounds of the law to compel  Co to return to the country in order to answer the allegations against him.

The cancellation of Co’s travel authority and his subsequent coordination with the Department of Justice (DOJ) were all lawful and necessary steps to ensure his return to the country.

He added that Co must return because “jurisdiction cannot be exercised over someone who refuses to appear,” and that “no video recorded abroad can substitute for sworn testimony, cross-examination, and accountability before the proper bodies.”

Hernandez also noted that all House members asked to clarify matters have voluntarily appeared before the ICI. “They availed themselves of due process and the Rule of Law, while Co has not,” he said.

He said the proper venue for Co’s claims “is here in the Philippines—before the ICI and before our investigative bodies—not in a video taken overseas.”

The lawmaker from South Cotabato said Co will have “every opportunity to air his side, present evidence, and answer questions under oath,” adding that the government can ensure his safety if needed.

Deputy Speaker Kristine Singson-Meehan of the NPC said the video is “unsworn, unnotarized, unauthenticated and produced abroad, and therefore carries no legal weight or value as formal testimony.”

She said its “emotional and theatrical tone” seeks to recast Co “as a victim rather than the official who oversaw House-side adjustments during the 2025 budget process,” diverting attention from “serious questions surrounding anomalous insertions and alleged ghost projects.”

The Ilocos Sur solon said Co’s claims run counter to budget rules, since bicameral adjustments originate only from Congress and he handled the House-side changes.

Any suggestion otherwise, she said, ignores long-established procedures.

Singson-Meehan urged the public to treat Co’s video with caution, saying emotional messaging should not overshadow audits or investigations and that public confidence is best protected through evidence, sworn statements and proper legal processes.

She said Co can pursue his claims properly by filing a sworn affidavit, submitting documents and appearing before authorities, because only those steps — not unsworn videos — lead to a credible review.

Singson-Meehan said the NPC commends President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for taking the lead in uncovering budget irregularities, noting that he brought the issues to light, ordered investigations and created the ICI along with reforms in the Department of Public Works and Highways.

She said the party believes “the truth will be determined by evidence, by audits and by due process,” and that “the facts, not dramatized narratives,” should shape public understanding.

Deputy Speaker Ronaldo “Ronnie” Puno of the NUP called for an expedited ICI probe, saying Co’s allegations demand immediate scrutiny. “We call for an intensified and expedited investigation by the [ICI], especially into the following allegations made by Mr. Zaldy Co,”

Puno said, citing claims involving former Speaker Martin Romualdez, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Undersecretaries Jojo Cadiz and Adrian Bersamin, alleged P100 billion insertions, and a reported threat made in March 2025.

The lawmaker from Antipolo City said “full cooperation of the high-ranking officials mentioned above” is essential. “We further call for Mr. Co to appear before these investigations and testify under oath to these accusations he publicly raised.

If his assertions are grounded in fact, then there can be no fear in bringing the full truth to light,” he stressed.

He said the NUP’s stand is guided by principle, stressing that “our allegiance should not be to any political side, but rather to the truth,” and that members are united “behind this call for truth, transparency, for the protection of the integrity of our democratic institutions.”

The NP, represented by Deputy Speaker Yevgeny Vicente B. Emano from the 2nd District of Misamis Oriental, said that the party’s position regarding the Co videos “is consistent and straightforward: If Mr. Co truly believes in what he is saying, then he must submit himself to the same standards of scrutiny that every public servant is expected to uphold.”

The House of Representatives has already shown full cooperation with the ongoing inquiries.

Lawmakers said the responsible course of action now rests with Co. Until he comes home and testifies before the appropriate bodies, his statements cannot and should not distract from the reforms and good-governance efforts being pursued by Congress.