EDITORIAL - Where is Zaldy Co?

Since the joint opening session of the 20th Congress in late July, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co has been missing in action from the House of Representatives.

His absence is noteworthy because he is seen to be at the heart of raging controversies over flood control projects and their inextricable links to budget insertions during the congressional deliberations.

This week, a heated debate erupted among some of his House colleagues on whether he should be compelled to face a tri-committee looking into questionable flood control projects. But Co was nowhere to be seen in the chamber.

Yesterday, House spokesperson Princess Abante said Co is in the United States, undergoing medical treatment for an unspecified affliction.

The nation prays for Co’s swift recovery, not only for his wellbeing, but also so he can shed light on controversies involving his roles in the budget process and in public works projects undertaken by two companies identified with his family.

Co founded one of the companies, Sunwest Inc., but maintains that he divested his shares when he joined the government. Another public works contractor, Hi-Tone Construction & Development Corp., is owned by his brother Christopher, who once served as Ako Bicol party-list congressman.

Both companies are on the list released by President Marcos of 15 contractors that have cornered flood control projects nationwide since 2022. Sunwest reportedly bagged over P10 billion worth of projects and Hi-Tone, over P4.8 billion.

Co also chaired the House appropriations committee in the previous Congress, which faced heavy flak over the General Appropriations Acts for 2024 and 2025. These two GAAs face legal challenges before the Supreme Court, with the current one described by critics as the most corrupt national budget ever. Co was later replaced in the committee, although he maintained that he resigned.

Several members of the current Congress want to question Co over the House deliberations on this year’s GAA, from the “small committee” to the closed-door bicameral conference, to shed light on who pushed for the billions in budget insertions.

Co’s continuing absence can only reinforce suspicions of his involvement in anomalies both in the crafting of the budget and in flood control programs.

His absence is also casting doubts on the avowed commitment of the chamber to transparency and accountability. The House leadership must require Co’s presence in the chamber as soon as possible. Those who have nothing to hide should have nothing to fear.