The National Unity Party (NUP) has cautioned the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) against spending time and effort on investigating unverified claims from people who themselves are being probed for corruption.

This, as the NUP--through its secretary-general Reginald Velasco--stated on Wednesday, Nov. 19 that resigned Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co was downright lying regarding his allegations of corruption against President Marcos and other administration officials.

"In light of recent revelations emerging from the ongoing Senate investigation, the National Unity Party believes that the allegations made by Mr. Zaldy Co are cast into serious doubt. Put simply, we believe Mr. Co is lying," Velasco said.

"These grave allegations, if true, would constitute criminal conduct. Yet they rest entirely on Mr. Co’s statements not made under oath, uncorroborated and made while he remains outside the country and beyond the reach of lawful inquiry," he said.

"We therefore urge the [ICI] to exercise judicious discernment in its investigation and focus resources on allegations that can be properly scrutinized, tested, and cross-examined, rather than on claims unsupported by credible or verifiable evidence," Velasco said.

"It would be a grave miscarriage of justice to pursue investigations based solely on unverified allegations made by an individual who is himself under investigation by the Ombudsman, refuses to face legal scrutiny, and whose accusations lack supporting evidence," he added in obvious reference to Co.

On Tuesday, the Office of the Ombudsman filed charges of graft and malversation against Co before the Sandiganbayan.

Over the weekend, Co, a former chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, claimed in a series of Facebook video uploads that President Marcos forced P100 billion worth of project insertions in the 2025 national budget, particularly during the Bicameral Conference Committee hearings.

From this massive insertion, the Chief Executive allegedly received 25 percent or P25 billion in kickbacks, said Co who had been hiding abroad for months now.

Velasco said Co's "refusal to return and submit to proper legal process raises legitimate questions about motive and veracity".

"We reiterate: if Mr. Co’s claims are indeed factual, then he should have no hesitation in presenting them before the authorities here," the NUP official said.

Velasco noted the ex-solon's preference to deflect issues. "Rather than addressing his own role in the controversy, he has chosen to cast blame on others through sensational accusations."

"These claims emerged only after mounting pressure on Mr. Co to account for his own actions, and only from the safety of a foreign jurisdiction, further undermining their credibility," he added.

"The growing inconsistency and improbability of his accusations are steadily coming to light with recent developments. Thus, unless Mr. Co appears before the proper authorities, testifies under oath, and produces verifiable proof, his statements are not acceptable and cannot be regarded as truth," he further said.

Co is a key personality in the budget insertion issue as well as the flood control projects corruption scandal.