The Makabayan bloc on Friday slammed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., saying allegations from former Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Zaldy Co exposed him as the chief architect of corruption in government.
“The testimony reveals what we have long suspected: that the bloating of DPWH’s budget beyond even that of DepEd is not accidental but deliberate,” the bloc said.
They added, “When Zaldy Co stated that only ₱50 billion could realistically be inserted into programmed appropriations without making DPWH’s budget exceed DepEd’s, this was allegedly overruled by Malacañang because this was apparently already promised to the President.”
According to Co, DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman told him that Marcos had ordered ₱100 billion worth of projects inserted into the 2025 national budget, confirmed by Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office.
“This testimony demolishes any pretense that Marcos Jr. is innocent or unaware of the corruption plaguing his administration. He is not merely complicit—he is the chief architect. The President personally approves the release of unprogrammed funds and directly orders billions in budget insertions. The buck stops with him,” Makabayan added.
While acknowledging Co’s possible motivation of self-preservation, the group stressed the gravity of his revelations and called for a thorough investigation into the projects and contractors.
“We note that Zaldy Co has yet to reveal Part 2 of his testimony, which allegedly involves the actual delivery of money to the residences of Marcos Jr. and [former Speaker Ferdinand Martin] Romualdez. This only deepens the imperative for a thorough and independent investigation,” they said.
“The people’s money is being stolen while teachers lack classrooms and teaching materials, while students have no chairs and books, while women and children lack access to healthcare, and while workers cannot feed their families due to low wages and high prices,” the bloc added.