THE explosive social media claims made by resigned Ako Bicol partylist Rep. Elizaldy Co must be properly authenticated under oath to hold any “probative value,” according to Senate President Pro Tempore and Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Panfilo ‘Ping’ M. Lacson on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Lacson maintained that the allegations Co has posted online, including a multi-part expose, currently carry no weight as evidence because he was not under oath when he made them.
This was the primary reason the committee did not air Co’s initial video during its hearing Friday.
”Ex-Rep. Zaldy Co needs to have his written affidavit properly authenticated by a consul in the place where he is presently located, then testify under oath before the Blue Ribbon Committee while within the premises of the embassy or consulate in order to make his testimony valid and have probative value,”Lacson said in an emailed statement to Gold Star Daily.
The Blue Ribbon Committee hearing will resume, and his testimony will be heard under such a condition, he added.
Without this step, the Senator added, “no matter how many Parts or Episodes his narrations are, they will all remain as (mere) narrations.”
In the meantime, Lacson said his staff is reviewing Co’s claim of P100 billion worth of projects allegedly inserted into the bicameral conference committee.
Co claimed, in the now viral video, the insertions were made at the instruction of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr through Budget Sec. Amrnah Pangandaman and Usec. Adrian Bersamin.
However, preliminary checks show several items are confirmed to be existing. Lacson pointed out a jarring inconsistency in Co’s chronology of events.
“What I noticed in the video is, while he talks of the 2025 GAA, several dates of the supposed deliveries were done in 2024 which obviously contradicts his narration about the insertions in the 2025 GAA," Lacson’s statement reads.
Lacson previously considered allowing Co to participate via Zoom but raised concerns about the claims’ logic, saying they appear to “defy common sense.”
"The President is not part of the bicam. He could have had the amount inserted in the NEP... and assuming it is true he ordered the insertion, why did he veto it?” Lacson questioned, pointing to the projects later vetoed by the President.
Earlier, the Northern Mindanao spokesperson of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-10) pointed out that insertions usually happen when a proposed project has not been included in the “regular infrastructure project budget” from their central office.
“That’s why during the budget hearing in the House of Representatives, requests for insertions are made,” Gold Star Daily quoted DPWH-10 Spokesperson Novie Cabrido as saying.
The projects Co in his videos are located across Northern Mindanao, specifically in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, and Bukidnon.
The allegations involve a range of infrastructure initiatives.
Here in Cagayan de Oro, the list includes the construction of a road leading to the Guadalupe Shrine in Barangay Balubal and another road leading to the city’s heritage tree in Barangay Cugman.
The projects in Misamis Oriental encompass the construction of a road leading to the Tugasnon Hot Spring in Alubijid.
Meanwhile, Bukidnon projects feature the construction of a road leading to Sagumata Falls in Barangay Lourdes, Valencia.
