Zaldy Co links First Lady to rice, onion smuggling

MANILA, Philippines — In his fifth exposé, resigned congressman Zaldy Co directly accused First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and her family as the ones involved in the price manipulation of onions and rice in the market, which reached record highs in the past years.

Co claimed that he learned that Martin Araneta – the First Lady’s brother – was involved in the importation of onions, which were sold as high as P800 per kilo in 2022.

“The name of Martin cropped up during our investigation in 2022 in the House. And Speaker (Martin) Romualdez himself told us the First Lady called him up to stop the House probe. This was why nobody was punished in that anomaly,” Co said.

“And it was because the First Lady’s brother had control over the importation of onions,” he said.

Even after four to six months of continuous investigation in 2023, Co revealed the price of the staple hardly moved.

It was during the House probe by the quinta committee headed by former Albay congressman Joey Salceda that the First Lady’s name cropped up again.

“Agriculture Secretary Kiko Tiu-Laurel stopped the investigation when he revealed a confidential report. In it, First Lady Liza Marcos herself was shown to have hold over rice importers,” Co said.

Tiu-Laurel supposedly said Mrs. Marcos would be severely affected if the House probe pushes through, as she was in Vietnam during that time to meet with rice importers.

“That same day, Congressman Sandro Marcos called Speaker Romualdez to stop the House investigation on rice as instructed by the President. I was with Speaker Romualdez when Congressman Sandro Marcos called,” Co said. –  Christine Boton