What Zaldy Co actually said

I AM devoting today’s column to the former House party-list representative Zaldy Co’s video messages, transcribed and translated into English, which he posted recently on Facebook. The message accuses President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former House speaker Martin Romualdez of being behind an infrastructure-based scam to siphon off — according to Co — P25 billion in taxpayers money to the two officials’ pockets.

This amount would make it the biggest graft loot in the post-dictatorship era, dwarfing the P1.5 billion (inflation adjusted) that then-Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson disclosed he gave former president Estrada as bribe money. The public outrage from this revelation triggered the so-called People Power 2 demonstrations that forced Estrada to flee Malacañang to his San Juan home.

Co in his message claims that those involved in executing the scam — and I am surprised they haven’t commented on the accusation — were then-budget secretary Amenah Pangandaman, undersecretary Adrian Bersamin (the grandnephew of then-executive secretary Lucas Bersamin who worked at his granduncle’s office), justice undersecretary Jose Cadiz, and, as they say, the last but not the least, Sen. Chiz Escudero. Needless to say, we leave it to the Filipino people to judge whether Co is telling the truth.

Presidential Communications Office chief Dave Gomez claims that it is “all hearsay, and a telenovela that has become a comedy.” At the start calling Co’s video message a product of artificial intelligence image manipulation, PCO undersecretary Claire Castro later called Co, a “traitor to the country.”

I put in my personal website rigobertotiglao. com links to the videos and the transcript of Co’s messages as he delivered them in Filipino.

Zaldy Co first appears saying the following by way of introduction:

“The one who delivered to the house of President Bongbong Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez to insert or put in P100 billion worth of projects into the bicam. I hope they do not kill me before I can reveal everything. I only did what I was told, but now, I am ready to face everything.

The video has the following marked as Part I:

To every Filipino, I know you are fully angry at me right now. I also understand why. Especially since there is a large amount at stake. But before you judge, let me explain the whole truth. I haven’t spoken for a long time because I had direct orders. Don’t return to the Philippines and just remain silent. I have returned to the truth. I left on July 19, 2025 for my medical checkup. I was planning to return after the president’s SONA.

But while I was about to return home, former speaker Martin Romualdez called me and said, ‘Stay out of the country. You will be well taken care of as instructed by the president.’ At that time, I still believed them. That’s why I didn’t return. The action turned. I followed. But what I didn’t know was that what they meant by ‘we will take care of you’ was that they would use me as a scapegoat in their campaign against corruption. They made me the poster boy of their own lies. Now, I will no longer remain silent; I will reveal the entire truth. There are receipts, there is evidence, and there are names.This started when (budget) secretary Mina (Amenah) Pangandaman called me when the bicam process began last year 2024. She said they had just finished a meeting with the president and there were instructions to insert or include P100 billion worth of projects in bicam.

And Secretary Mina also said, ‘you can confirm with undersecretary Adrian Bersamin because they were together in the meeting with President BBM that day.’ (Adrian is the grandnephew of executive secretary Bersamin, the son of his niece Anne.)

Bersamin

I immediately called Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin and asked if the president really had instructions to insert P100 billion during their meeting. He said it was indeed true. Right after our conversation, I called former speaker Martin Romualdez and reported the president’s instructions to insert the P100 billion projects. And he said, ‘What the president wants, he gets.’

After a few days, Secretary Pangandaman and Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin set up a meeting with us and former speaker Martin Romualdez at Aguado Building in front of Gate 4 of Malacañang, and undersecretary Jojo Cadiz was also there. During the meeting, undersecretary Adrian Bersamin gave the list worth P100 billion. I asked Usec. Adrian where the list came from. His answer was it came from PBBM himself and he gave it from a brown leather bag.

When Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin mentioned the brown leather bag, I remembered when we were in Singapore right after the elections of May 2022 at the Hilton Hotel, former speaker Martin, PBBM and I, while going back and forth to the Philippines, the PSG chased after the brown leather bag and PBBM said, ‘everything can be left behind, except the brown leather bag.’ That’s why I believed this was really the president’s order.

After a few days, I informed former speaker Martin Romualdez, secretary Mina Pangandaman, undersecretary Adrian Bersamin, and justice undersecretary Jojo (Jose) Cadiz if it would be possible to just insert P50 billion in the program funds because the DPWH funds would exceed those of DepEd. In practice, it’s not possible for DPWH’s budget to be larger. And the balance of P50 billion should just be placed in unprogrammed funds for the 2025 budget since the Office of the President also releases all unprogrammed funds.

After one day, Secretary Mina called me and conveyed the president’s message: ‘Insert that because Speaker Martin already promised me that and it can no longer be changed.’

The video clip has the following marked as Part II:

Again, I informed the speaker and asked for clearance about the president’s instructions. And he said, ‘There’s nothing we can do.’ So, I am wondering why the president says that he does not recognize the budget when every cut and addition to government agencies is being submitted to him for approval by Secretary Mina Pangandaman. Before Sen. Chiz Escudero and I finalized it during the bicam.

Secretary Mina even said, ‘Everything is cleared with the president. What’s important is that the funds requested by the president are included.’ The following day, Secretary Mina said that President BBM had already approved all the cuts to the agencies. The president was happy because the P100 billion insertion he wanted was included.

No money went to me. All of the insertion went to our president and the speaker, Martin Romualdez. Only I and my people — Paul Estrada, Martin Saib, and my security personnel — delivered to the houses of President Bongbong Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez in North Forbes Park, South Forbes Park, all the way to Malacañang. Those deliveries have records kept by my people.

What Orly Guteza said — that he delivered to Forbes Park — is true. It is also true, as Orly Guteza said, that he delivered to Malacañang when he was in the Senate. To prove it, I will release the photos of the deliveries together with this video.

And here is Orly Guteza. What this means is that 25 percent of the 100 billion is the cut that needs to be given to BBM himself. In total, P25 billion went to President Bongbong Marcos.

So now, I am challenging Ombudsman Remulla — if he is truly serious about what he said in his press release, that he will also include Martin Romualdez if I provide evidence. Let him prove his pronouncement; let him investigate his fraternity brother and his friend, Speaker Martin Romualdez, if he will really fulfill his duty. Let him also investigate President Bongbong Marcos.

As BBM himself said during the state of the nation address, ‘Let’s do it right,’ and ‘have some shame,’ isn’t that so?

I am also calling on the Senate to investigate the president’s P100 billion insertion. I know Ombudsman Remulla will not take on my challenge. But the Senate is good at investigations, and I believe that through them, the truth will come out.

The following is marked Part III:

The list of projects — I will also release it together with this video. Because of this, even more cases will be filed against me. The administration is using the entire resources of the country to silence me. To destroy my credibility. The threats to my life and my family will also increase.

As early as March 2025, the speaker had already been hinting to me during our meeting — that he will shoot me if I will talk. And after he told me in a phone call, ‘Don’t come home, we will take care of you,’ Speaker Martin called again and told me that if I go home it will be dangerous, because they may hire someone to do a rubout on me or hire the police to kill me while in jail.

This is only the first of the things I want to expose. I have many more to bring into the light. One of these is regarding Henry Alcantara, the ‘DPWH Boys.’ The amount they claim at ICI is P21 billion. That is not true. The real number is P56 billion pesos. And that amount went entirely to President Bongbong Marcos and Martin Romualdez. I will release the full details in the coming days. Just a little more patience. I hope they do not kill me before I can release it.

To all of you in the Philippines, especially to my family, I offer my heartfelt apology. I only did what was ordered of me, but now I am ready to face everything. I repeat — no money went to me. The money only passed through me so that I could deliver it to Speaker Martin Romualdez and President Marcos. Thank you for your understanding.”

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What Zaldy Co actually said
Source: Breaking News PH