House Majority Leader Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos said he reiterated his denial of ex-congressman Zaldy Co’s allegations against him and the First Family during his hearing Thursday, Dec. 4 with the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

Rep. Marcos said he told the ICI that the allegations made by Co, former representative of Ako Bicol party-list, were “pure fabrication” and “pure lies”.

This was in reference to Co's claim that Marcos ordered project insertions worth a total of P50 billion in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of the years 2023 to 2025.

Co also alleged that he gave President Marcos P1 billion in kickbacks through his supposed bagman, Department of Justice (DOJ) Undersecretary Jose Cadiz Jr.

“I would just like to repeat my statement that this is pure fabrication and pure lies,” he said.

“It’s a move that reeks of desperation. It's a political ploy,” he said.

The presidential son maintained that Co’s allegation against his father were “untrue” since the executive department was different from the legislative.

He also denied inserting his own projects into the national budget, as alleged by Co in his video message.

“I did not do any of such a thing, kung nakikita niyo po ang mga listahan may mga project dyan sa Davao City nakalagay (if you can see the lists, there are projects placed in Davao City),” he said, referring to the supposed list of insertions that Co showed.

“Eh alam naman natin sino nakatira doon bakit pa ako maglalagay ng projects doon (We all know who lives there, so why would I still insert a project there),” he added.

Davao is the home turf of the Dutertes, who are Marcos critics. 

Rep. Marcos said it was “not worth” investigating Co’s claims as they were political in nature.

"Sana naman pag-aralan nila mabuti (I hope they study this thoroughly)," he said.