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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Zaldy Co willing to become impeachment witness vs Marcos--Defensor

Zaldy Co willing to become impeachment witness vs Marcos--Defensor

Published Jan 23, 2026 05:26 pm

At A Glance

  • Former Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor says his fellow administration critic former Ako-Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co is willing to become a witness against President Marcos, who is facing a slew of impeachment cases.
Former Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor (left), former Ako-Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co (MANILA BULLETIN, PPAB)
Former Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor (left), former Ako-Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co (MANILA BULLETIN, PPAB)


Former Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor says his fellow administration critic former Ako-Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co is willing to become a witness against President Marcos, who is facing a slew of impeachment cases.
Defensor made this revelation in a press conference in Quezon City on Friday, Jan. 23, a day after he and his group tried to file at the House of Representatives the third publicly-known impeachment complaint against Marcos.
"In the case of congressman Zaldy Co, yes, he is willing to be a witness," said Defensor, a lawyer.
Co--who has been in hiding abroad ever since he was tagged as a key personality in the budget insertion controversy and the flood control projects corruption scandal--is willing to testify via teleconferencing or Zoom.
"Zaldy Co is willing to testify on our behalf regarding the graft and corruption issue, and on everything he knows about the distribution of money, including the fixing of the budget in the unprogrammed allocations," Defensor said of the former House Committee on Appropriations chairman.
"Kung hindi man siya napayagan sa [Senate] Blue Ribbon Committee na mag-Zoom and we have done that alam niyo ho yan, under suspended rules pinapayagan po natin yan (If he was not allowed to use Zoom in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, and we have done that before, you know this, under suspended rules we permit it)," he noted.
Defensor said this development would also give Marcos the opportunity to answer Co's allegations.
"Kung papayagan ito sa impeachment at naniniwala silang dapat malaman ang katotohanan, at syempre bigyan din ng pagkakataon ang Presidente na sumagot dito sa mga charges na nandito."
(If this will be allowed in the impeachment, and they believe the truth must be known, then of course the President should also be given the chance to respond to the charges here.)
In a Facebook video post last November, Co accused President Marcos of ordering P100 billion worth of project insertions in the P6.326-trillion national budget for 2025.
Warning to House Secretary General
In the same presser, Defensor said that he and the rest of his group will decide whether or not they would return to the House of Representatives on Monday, Jan. 26 to once again attempt the filing of their impeachment complaint.
They failed in their first attempt Thursday, Jan. 22 because House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil wasn't present to receive the document. Garafil was reportedly in Taiwan for an engagement.
Defensor did not hide his displeasure and said they planned to file a case against the secretary general's office.
"Uupo kami, mag-uusap kung ano pa yung bagay na gagawin namin. Of course, may mga debates kami on how to address this (We will sit down and talk about our next move. Of course we're having debates on how to address this).
"But nagkakaisa kami (But we are united in this), and this is a warning to the Office of the Secretary General, that we will file a case against the office," he said.
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