By Ade S. Fajardo

Former Congressman Zaldy Co of Ako Bicol Party-list has accused President Bongbong Marcos, Jr. of receiving P25 billion in kickbacks, supposedly from P100 billion worth of project insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Act.

“After the approval of the budget in the General Appropriations Act of 2025, I asked the DPWH [Department of Public Works and Highways] how much is needed to give to the Office of the President or the giving of SOP [standard operating procedure]. The answer to me is 25 percent,” Co said.

Zaldy Co further claims, “In total, P25 billion goes to President Bongbong Marcos.”

***

Co claims the P25 billion came from insertions.

Insertions can happen at the bicameral conference committee where delegates from the House of Representatives and the Senate meet to reconcile conflicting provisions in the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).

Members of the president’s team, i.e., Cabinet members and the agencies and government corporations under them, are mere resource persons at this point. They do not decide which specific items should be included in the final form of the appropriations bill.

***

It is the legislators who may make the insertions, which is not per se illegal.

It is an inherent power recognized as part of checks and balances in a working democracy.

In the 1994 case of Tolentino vs. Secretary of Finance, the Supreme Court said that the bicameral conference report is submitted to the plenary of both houses of Congress for the latter’s approval. It thus becomes “valid as an act of the legislative department.”

***

The House contingent is represented by the appropriations committee. Zaldy Co led it at the beginning of the Marcos administration until he fled to parts unknown.

The Senate contingent is led by the chairperson of its finance committee. For the 2025 national budget, it was Grace Poe who was supposed to be Zaldy Co’s counterpart in threshing out final details of the GAB.

As it happened, however, Co’s fellow Bicolano, then Senate President Chiz Escudero, took on the reins of the finance committee and edged out Poe in hammering out the final form of the budget. Is it a coincidence that Sorsogon is now enjoying a windfall in infrastructure projects?

***

Should we believe Zaldy Co’s version of events, then both houses of Congress sacrificed their vaunted independence and shamelessly kowtowed to the wishes of the President.

This would entail the cooperation of Senator Escudero who led the Senate delegation.

However, as pointed out by pundits, it would be nonsensical for the President to expend political capital by influencing congressional deliberations when he could have made those insertions in the budget while it was being prepared by the executive department, unimpeded by multipartisan interests whose tentacles are as many as there are senators and congressmen.

***

It is hard to swallow Co’s recent statements without bearing in mind that his construction company Sunwest was able to corner juicy contracts at the exact time frame that he said he had been delivering billions to the Marcos household.

As they say, he who seeks justice must come to court with clean hands./WDJ