Majority Leader Sandro Marcos fired back hard on Tuesday, rejecting Zaldy Coโs allegations of budget insertions and accusing the former Ako Bicol representative of colluding with groups aiming to topple the administration. Marcos said intelligence reports point to Co โstriking a dealโ with actors who stand to benefit politically from chaos, describing the ex-lawmaker as the โnewly crowned championโ of the DDS faction now working against the government.
In a lengthy statement, Sandro dismissed Coโs claims as โfantastical and false,โ saying anyone can โsit in front of a camera abroad and spew lies.โ He argued that Coโs motivations were transparent: destabilize the government to escape his own corruption charges. Marcos emphasized that Coโs removal as appropriations chair was a collective decision by House members after they โcaught wind of his insatiable greed,โ not personal retaliation โ countering Coโs claim that he was pushed out for refusing to fulfill alleged fund demands.
The clash follows Coโs release of another video accusing Sandro of inserting โฑ50 billion into the 2025 budget, on top of earlier allegations against President Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez. While Co continues releasing videos from abroad, several analysts โ including critics of the administration โ have started questioning inconsistencies in his claims, noting that the President could issue insertions directly through NEP if he intended to. President Marcos himself has urged Co to return to the Philippines and testify if he stands by his accusations.
Image from Sandro Marcos FB