House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos rejected allegations from former House Appropriations Chair Zaldy Co, calling the claims “fantastical” and “false.” Marcos said Co had “no credibility” and accused him of releasing online videos aimed at destabilizing the administration while evading accountability for his own legal issues.
Marcos said Co was attempting to stir political turmoil from abroad, adding that “anyone can sit in front of a camera and spew lies.” He said Congress works as a collegial body and that no single lawmaker dictates decisions in the bicameral conference committee. According to him, Co was removed as appropriations chair after members raised concerns about what he described as “insatiable greed and corruption.”
“This is not a revelation,” Marcos said. “This is destabilization.”
Co’s allegations set the stage for the dispute. In several posts, he released what he described as detailed lists of budget insertions attributed to Marcos in the 2023, 2024, and 2025 General Appropriations Acts. Co claimed the insertions grew yearly and surpassed P50 billion across three budget cycles.
He said the additions were made during the bicameral process and urged the public to review the approved GAAs to determine whether the listed projects were carried out. Co said the documents reflected what he viewed as expanding influence in the budget process over the past three years.
The exchange underscored tension in Congress as debates over budget authority intensify heading into the 2025 cycle.
