By Brian Campued
Malacañang on Friday disputed the accusations made by former representative Elizaldy Co against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., dismissing Co’s statement that Marcos had personally directed budget insertions in the 2025 national budget as “pure hearsay.”
In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) acting Sec. Dave Gomez stressed that the President himself called attention to alleged corruption in flood control projects during his fourth State of the Nation Address, ordering the investigation into the anomalies.
“These wild accusations are completely without basis in fact. All the charges leveled against the President are pure hearsay,” Sec. Gomez said.
“Let us not forget, President Marcos Jr. himself exposed all these flood control anomalies and has taken numerous steps since to ensure that the guilty are brought to justice, the stolen wealth recovered, and the system is fixed to prevent such occurrences in the future,” he added.
The PCO chief also urged Co—who made the allegations through a video posted on Facebook— to return to the Philippines and face the complaints or cases filed against him “under oath with the proper judicial authorities.”
In the same press briefing, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Sec. Amenah Pangandaman denied Co’s claim that Marcos—through her—directed the insertion of at least P100 billion worth of projects into the P6.352 trillion national budget for 2025.
Pangandaman emphasized that the President no longer had a hand in the budget process after the executive transmitted the National Expenditure Program to Congress.
“We reject any insinuations about it. The [bicameral conference committee] is purely under the power of the legislature. We respect and strictly follow the budget process, and all our actions are above board,” she said.
“Wala na pong role ang Office of the President, ang Executive sa bicam,” the Budget chief added.
Meanwhile, PCO Usec. and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Co was weaving lies to evade accountability amid numerous cases against him.
“Dahil lumiliit na ang mundo ni Zaldy Co, kailangan niyang umiwas at iiwas ang sarili at mag-namedrop kahit walang katibayan at laway lang ang puhunan,” Castro said.
“Para masagip ang sarili sa paratang ng pagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan at mapalitaw na siya ang biktima, siya ay magtatahi ng maling kuwento laban sa ibang tao,” she added.
The Palace press briefer argued that the President would not have initiated the probe into the flood control anomalies if he himself were involved in the issue.
“Ang imbestigasyon na sinimulan ng Pangulo ay unti-unti nang nagbubunga. Malinaw na ang mga pangyayari, papalapit na nang papalapit tayo sa katotohanan kaya’t pinipilit ilihis upang makaiwas ang mga tunay na may sala sa katarungan,” Castro said.
-jpv
