Former Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co is accusing President Marcos of having stiff-armed the House of Representatives into making P100 billion worth of project insertions in the P6.326-trillion national budget for 2025.

Co made this claim in a six-minute video message sent to House reporters on Friday, Nov. 14 by Ako Bicol Party-list.

It was not disclosed where the video was taken, as the ex-solon's current whereabouts are unknown. The party-list attrihuted the video to Co.

It was the first time that Co's voice was ever heard responding to the recent allegations against him, and he did so by going against the Marcos administation which he had helped in the previous 19th Congress in his capacity as House Committee on Appropriations chairman.

"Nagsimula ito no’ng tumawag si [Department of Budget and Management] Sec. Mina Pangandaman sa akin no’ng nag-umpisa ang bicam process last year 2024," said Co, who looked gaunt and wore an oversized brown blazer.

(This started when DBM Sec. Mina Pangandaman called me when the bicam process began last year, 2024.)

"Ang sabi niya, katatapos lang ng meeting nila ni Pangulo at may instructions na mag-insert o magpasok ng ₱100 billion worth of projects sa bicam. At sinabi pa ni Sec. Mina, you can confirm with Usec. Adrian Bersamin dahil magkasama sila sa meeting ni Pangulong BBM (Bongbong Marcos) no’ng araw na ‘yon," he said

(He said that they had just finished a meeting with the President and there were instructions to insert ₱100 billion worth of projects into the bicam. And Sec. Mina even said, you can confirm with Usec. Adrian Bersamin because they were together in that meeting with President (Bongbong Marcos) on that day.)

Co said he immediately called Bersamin to confirm Marcos' P100-billion insertion request.

"Ang sabi niya ay totoo nga po. Right after our conversation, tinawagan ko po si dating Speaker Martin Romualdez at nireport ko ang instructions ng Presidente to insert the P100 billion projects at sinabi niya sa akin, 'What the President wants, he gets," he recalled.

(He said it was indeed true. Right after our conversation, I immediately called former Speaker Martin Romualdez and reported the President’s instructions to insert the ₱100 billion projects, and he told me, ‘What the President wants, he gets.’)

Co resigned as Ako Bicol congressman last Sept. 29 amid calls for him to return to the country and face allegations regarding budget insertions and the flood control projects corruption scandal.

Co continued: "After ng ilang araw nag-set po ng meeting si Sec. Mina Pangandaman at Usec. Adrian Bersamin sa amin ni dating Speaker Martin Romualdez sa Aguado Building, in front of Gate 4 ng Malacañang at nando’n din po si Usec Jojo Cadiz."

(After a few days, Sec. Mina Pangandaman and Usec. Adrian Bersamin set a meeting with us and former Speaker Martin Romualdez at the Aguado Building, in front of Gate 4 of Malacañang, and Usec. Jojo Cadiz was also there.)

Co said that during the meeting, Bersamin gave him the list of infrastructure projects worth ₱100 billion. "Tinanong ko po si Usec. Adrian kung saan galing ang listahan, ang sagot niya, galing kay PBBM mismo at binigay niya ito mula sa brown leather bag."

(I asked Usec. Adrian where the list came from, and his answer was that it came directly from PBBM himself, and he handed it over from a brown leather bag.)

"No’ng sinabi po ni Usec. Adrian Bersamin ‘yong brown leather bag, naaalala ko no’ng nasa Singapore kami right after the elections of May 2022 sa Hilton Hotel, kami ni dating Speaker Martin and PBBM habang pauwi at pabalik ng Pilipinas, hinabol ng PSG (Presidential Security Group) ang brown leather bag at ang sabi ni PBBM, maiwan na lahat wag lang ang brown leather bag — kaya naniwala ko na utos talaga ito ng Pangulo," noted the Bicolano.

(When Usec. Adrian Bersamin mentioned the brown leather bag, I remembered when we were in Singapore right after the May 2022 elections at the Hilton Hotel, former Speaker Martin, PBBM, and I were already on the way back to the Philippines when the PSG went after the brown leather bag, and PBBM said, ‘leave everything behind except the brown leather bag’—that’s why I believed this was truly an order from the President.)

Co gave no further details about the mysterious bag.

Co claimed that he intially refused the P100-billion insertion since it would make the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget in 2025 bigger than the Department of Education's (DepEd). He said he asked for it to be reduced to ₱50 billion.

"In practice hindi pwede na mas malaki ang budget ng DPWH kaysa edukasyon, ang balance na ₱50 billion, ilagay na lang sa unprogrammed funds for the 2025 budget dahil Office of the President (OP) din ang nagre-release ng lahat ng unprogrammed funds," he said.

(In practice, the budget of the DPWH cannot be bigger than that of education. The balance of ₱50 billion should just be placed in the unprogrammed funds for the 2025 budget because it is also the Office of the President that releases all unprogrammed funds.)

"Pagkatapos ng isang araw, tinawagan ako Sec. Mina at sinabi ang mensahe ng Pangulo — ipasok ninyo yan dahil pinangako na sa akin ni Speaker Martin ‘yan at hindi na pwedeng baguhin. Kumbaga, ang utos ng hari, hindi pwedeng mabali.

(After one day, Sec. Mina called me and relayed the message of the President—insert that because Speaker Martin already promised it to me and it can no longer be changed. In other words, the king's command cannot be defied.)

"Again, I informed the Speaker and asked clearance about the instructions ng Pangulo, at ang sabi niya, wala tayong magagawa," Co narrated.

(Again, I informed the Speaker and asked for clearance about the President’s instructions, and he told me, we can’t do anything.)

"Kaya po nagtataka ako kung bakit sinasabi ni Pangulo na hindi niya makilala ang budget samantalang lahat na binawas at dinagdag sa mga ahensya ng gobyerno ay humihingi ng approval sa kanya si Sec. Mina Pangandaman," Co said, referring to President Marcos' remarks in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July that the budget measure had been mangled.

(That is why I am wondering why the President says he does not recognize the budget, when in fact every reduction and addition to the government agencies is being submitted to him for approval by Sec. Mina Pangandaman.)