Senator Bam Aquino on Thursday urged former Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co to return to the country and place his corruption allegations under oath before official investigative bodies, instead of airing them solely on social media.
Aquino called on Co to face the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), and the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to explain his online claims accusing top government officials — including President Bongbong Marcos — of receiving 25% kickbacks from a ₱100-billion budget insertion.
“I-echo iyong sinasabi ng simbahan at ng maraming grupo na he should come home,” Aquino said.
He stressed that the flood control scandal, considered among the country’s biggest public works controversies, required accountability and concrete efforts to recover lost public funds.
“Sino ba talaga ‘yung sangkot? Dapat ikulong sila… That’s over a trillion… na nawala. Kailangan may serious attempt to get back that money,” he said.
Aquino warned against allowing systemic loopholes to persist.
“Huwag tayong pumayag na after one year, ganto na naman tayo,” he said, noting that the public had grown weary of denials.
To prevent future misuse of funds, he pushed for Senate Bill No. 1506, the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act, which mandates full digital disclosure of budget documents. The bill imposes penalties for withholding records or uploading false data.
“Makukulong ang isang indibidwal na nag-upload ng false or misleading budget-related information… wala pong takas dito,” Aquino said.