'Vacant' House appropriations chair post lauded

Following the motion of Senior Deputy Majority Leader Sandro Marcos to declare vacant the chairmanship for the House Committee on  Appropriations and its approval by House Speaker Martin Romualdez, some netizens aired their satisfaction over the decision.

The move ousted Ako Bicol Partylist Representative Zaldy Co from the committee leadership which took effect on 13 January 2025 as sessions in the House of Representative resume.

Co, however, issued a statement Monday, saying that he has stepped down from the post due to health reasons,

But some netizens -- while applauding the decision--  claimed that Co's decision was to "save face" following his reported ouster.

Meantime, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin has denied any Palace involvement on the decision to remove Co from the committee leadership.

To recall, Co has been under fire since the second half of 2024 as stakeholders from various industries questioned the allotments that are in the national budget.

Some netizens said that Co's resignation is just a way for the solon to avoid criticisms while others say that since he has health problems, he should also step down as a representative.

Earlier this year, Co also had a word war with Senator Joel Villanueva, as the senator cited the congressman’s alleged history of ‘sketchy’ business and even having ties with the controversial Pharmally scandal.