Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co and former Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero — not former House Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez — should be held responsible for the questionable insertions in the 2025 national budget.
This was the strong assertion of Romualdez ally, Antipolo 1st District Rep. and House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno, in an interview on ANC’s Headstart.
According to Puno, the budget went through a “small committee” before it was forwarded to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for signing. The committee, he said, included Romualdez, Co, Escudero, and then-Sen. Grace Poe, who chaired the Senate Committee on Finance during the budget deliberations.
But Puno defended Romualdez, claiming the former Speaker never attended the small committee’s meetings, while Poe herself was reportedly barred from the process.
“This is where the insertions are put in,” Puno said.
He added: “It ended up Zaldy Co and Senate President Escudero were the ones who actually penciled in whatever needed to be penciled in at the end… It was the two that actually finalized those things. The version they sent back to the House already included all the insertions.”
Puno also expressed support for a full probe into Co’s role in the controversial budget, saying he should be compelled to face the investigation.
“He should be brought back, forcibly if necessary,” Puno declared, referring to Co, who is currently abroad for alleged heart treatment.