Just hours after Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson cast doubt on his expose, former Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co appealed to him to first examine the list of alleged project insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) before making further remarks on the flood control projects controversy.
“I respectfully urge Hon. Sen. Panfilo Lacson to first review the full list of alleged ‘insertions,’ made under the directive of President Marcos and clearly reflected in the GAA 2025,” Co said in a Facebook post on Friday night, Nov. 14.
The statement followed Co’s video message earlier that day, in which he claimed that President Marcos—through officials of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)—ordered him to insert ₱100 billion worth of infrastructure projects into the 2025 national budget. His upload included project details spread across 26 pages.
“You may cross-check the NEP 2025 to verify if the same line items appear there. To assist you, I have attached the list with the exact page references from the GAA 2025,” Co told Lacson.
Incidentally, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee—chaired by Lacson—resumed hearings on the flood control projects corruption scandal that same day.
Co added: “I suggest that before making statements that may unfairly prejudice the issue, the Senator should examine the documents in full. The public deserves a fair, complete, and evidence-based investigation, not conclusions drawn without first seeing the whole picture.”
