Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)

House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co is looking  into reports that the district of Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Duterte was allocated with a whopping P51 billion in unprogrammed funds during his father's term as president. 

But this early, Co said there could be truth to these reports. 

“That is so much yan P51 billion…Wala pa akong hawak na dokumento pero pinapahanap ko na po ito. Mukhang 99 percent itong P51 billion mukhang totoo po yan,” Co said in a radio interview Thursday, Jan. 18. 

(I don't have the document yet but I'm having it found. It appears that, about 99 percent, this P51 billion is true.) 

“Sabagay, nung 18th Congress ay naririnig ko na yan, na napakalaking pondo ang na-release sa south, sa Mindanao, especially Davao, tawag daw diyan 'Holy Land'," he added. 

(Come to think of it, even during the 18th Congress I've heard of it, there was this huge funds released to the south, in Mindanao, especially Davao, it's supposedly called the 'Holy Land'.) 

Co did not elaborate on the Holy Land tag. 

Rep. Duterte’s father is former president Rodrigo Duterte, a Davao native and former longtime city mayor. The latter served as chief executive from 2016 to 2022. 

In the radio interview, the Ako Bicol Party-list solon was asked about the reports that the first district of Davao City was allocated P51 billion during the last three years of the Duterte presidency. 

Regarding the alleged huge funds allocated to Mindanao, Co said: "Wala naman makapag-question niyan sa Kongreso…ang average P500 million to P1 billion. Pag P2 billion, P3 to 4 billion medyo sacred cow ka niyan." 

(Nobody could question it in Congress...the average allocation is P500 million to P1 billion. If you get P2 billion, P3 to 4 billion  then you're somewhat of a sacred cow.) 

It was last Jan. 9 when Rep. Duterte complained on Facebook that the House leadership "left only a measly P500 million for Dabawenyos" in terms of projects intended for his district. 

Rep. Duterte, a former deputy speaker, is also the brother of incumbent Vice President Sara Duterte.