September 12, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co on Wednesday denied any wrongdoing amid claims of his involvement in anomalous flood management tasks, insisting that he would reply the fees when given the “specifics” of the declare.
“I reserve my proper to reply to any assertion about my involvement on this matter earlier than the suitable physique if and when I’m given the specifics of the declare,” Co mentioned in a press release after Baguio Metropolis Mayor Benjamin Magalong recognized him as one of many politicians who had one thing to do with the flood management mess.
“I used to be shocked to listen to Mayor Magalong point out my identify to the media in reference to the flood management tasks with out saying what precisely I did. Once more, I strongly deny any wrongdoing with respect to his obscure declare,” mentioned Co, whose firm Sunwest was among the many High 15 contractors talked about by President Marcos as allegedly concerned within the multibillion-peso flood management scandal.
“It’s my understanding that an unbiased physique, the members of whom may presumably embody Magalong, can be constituted to research the flood management tasks,” Co mentioned, which doesn’t give him any “confidence that this unbiased physique will conduct a good and unbiased investigation.”
Amid mounting requires him to come back out within the open, Co invoked the judiciary’s sub judice rule that stops him from commenting on alleged insertions within the 2025 nationwide finances, mentioning the 2025 Common Appropriations Act (Republic Act 12116) is “at present the topic of instances earlier than the Supreme Court docket and the Workplace of the Ombudsman.”
“Because of this, I’m unable to touch upon the matter to the general public however reserve my proper to touch upon this matter, if and when required by the courts the place this matter is pending,” he mentioned.
Contractor’s consultant noticed in Senate for go to
Senate president professional tempore Panfilo Lacson yesterday mentioned he has secured the Senate surveillance footage concerning the go to of a sure “Mina” from contractor WJ Building amid a congressional investigation into corruption in flood management tasks.
Sacked Division 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 management mission.
Estrada and Sen. Joel Villanueva’s names had been introduced up in the course of the listening to for allegedly receiving 30 % kickbacks from flood management tasks, an allegation they denied.
In the course of the Kapihan sa Senado discussion board yesterday, Lacson mentioned he has data the contractor’s consultant was seen on the Senate premises on Aug. 19.
The Senate Blue Ribbon committee – then chaired by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta – held its first investigation on flood management corruption on Aug. 19.
“We have now video footage from CCTV that somebody from WJ visited. I believe her identify was ‘Mina.’ We are going to summon her. We are going to ask. Though we’ve got an concept the place she went and whose workplace,” Lacson mentioned.
Lacson mentioned he’ll dig deeper into the alleged payoffs involving WJ Building’s Mina to legislators and their workers and summon them to attend the following listening to, set for Sept. 18.
P30 million marketing campaign donation
In the meantime, the Fee on Elections (Comelec) is asking Lawrence Lubiano, president of Centerways Building and Improvement Inc., to personally clarify his P30-million donation to the marketing campaign of Sen. Francis Escudero in the course of the Might 2022 polls.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia yesterday mentioned that other than issuing a present trigger order towards Lubiano, in addition they invited the latter to seem earlier than the fee so he may give extra particulars of his alleged prohibited marketing campaign contributions.
COA exec urged to resign
Home deputy minority chief and Act Lecturers Rep. Antonio Tinio referred to as yesterday for the instant resignation of Fee 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 corporate of Lipana’s spouse.
Lipana was appointed to the COA in 2022 by then president Rodrigo Duterte.
In the course of the COA finances briefing Tinio’s questioning revealed that Commissioner Lipana’s spouse, Marilou Laurio Lipana, serves as president and normal supervisor of Olympus Mining and Builders Group Philippines, which has acquired 9 authorities contracts for flood management tasks and farm-to-market roads in Bulacan totaling P326.609 million in 2025. — Rhodina Villanueva, Jose Rodel Clapano, Marc Jayson Cayabyab