Zaldy Co: I will testify in due time

MANILA, Philippines — Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co on Wednesday denied any wrongdoing amid claims of his involvement in anomalous flood control projects, insisting that he would answer the charges when given the “specifics” of the claim.

“I reserve my right to respond to any statement about my involvement on this matter before the appropriate body if and when I am given the specifics of the claim,” Co said in a statement after Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong identified him as one of the politicians who had something to do with the flood control mess.
“I was surprised to hear Mayor Magalong mention my name to the media in connection with the flood control projects without saying what exactly I did. Again, I strongly deny any wrongdoing with respect to his vague claim,” said Co, whose company Sunwest was among the Top 15 contractors mentioned by President Marcos as allegedly involved in the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.
“It is my understanding that an independent body, the members of whom could possibly include Magalong, will be constituted to investigate the flood control projects,” Co said, which doesn’t give him any “confidence that this independent body will conduct a fair and unbiased investigation.”

Amid mounting calls for him to come out in the open, Co invoked the judiciary’s sub judice rule that prevents him from commenting on alleged insertions in the 2025 national budget, pointing out the 2025 General Appropriations Act (Republic Act 12116) is “currently the subject of cases before the Supreme Court and the Office of the Ombudsman.” 
“For this reason, I am unable to comment on the matter to the public but reserve my right to comment on this matter, if and when required by the courts where this matter is pending,” he said.

Contractor’s representative spotted in Senate for visit

Senate president pro tempore Panfilo Lacson yesterday said he has secured the Senate surveillance footage about the visit of a certain “Mina” from contractor WJ Construction amid a congressional investigation into corruption in flood control projects.

Sacked Department of Public Works and Highways assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez had earlier tagged “Mina” and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada’s alleged aide Beng Ramos for delivering the commissions from a flood control project.

Estrada and Sen. Joel Villanueva’s names were brought up during the hearing for allegedly receiving 30 percent kickbacks from flood control projects, an allegation they denied.

During the Kapihan sa Senado forum yesterday, Lacson said he has information the contractor’s representative was seen at the Senate premises on Aug. 19.

The Senate Blue Ribbon committee – then chaired by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta – held its first investigation on flood control corruption on Aug. 19.

“We have video footage from CCTV that someone from WJ visited. I think her name was ‘Mina.’ We will summon her. We will ask. Although we have an idea where she went and whose office,” Lacson said.

Lacson said he will dig deeper into the alleged payoffs involving WJ Construction’s Mina to legislators and their staff and summon them to attend the next hearing, set for Sept. 18.

P30 million campaign donation

Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is asking Lawrence Lubiano, president of Centerways Construction and Development Inc., to personally explain his P30-million donation to the campaign of Sen. Francis Escudero during the May 2022 polls.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia yesterday said that apart from issuing a show cause order against Lubiano, they also invited the latter to appear before the commission so he can give more details of his alleged prohibited campaign contributions.

COA exec urged to resign

House deputy minority leader and Act Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio called yesterday for the immediate resignation of Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Mario Lipana amid what Tinio described as constitutional violations involving over P505.13 million in govern ment contracts awarded to the company of Lipana’s wife.

Lipana was appointed to the COA in 2022 by then president Rodrigo Duterte.

During the COA budget briefing Tinio’s questioning revealed that Commissioner Lipana’s wife, Marilou Laurio Lipana, serves as president and general manager of Olympus Mining and Builders Group Philippines, which has received nine government contracts for flood control projects and farm-to-market roads in Bulacan totaling P326.609 million in 2025. — Rhodina Villanueva, Jose Rodel Clapano, Marc Jayson Cayabyab