Co as witness against Bongbong doubted

Fugitive former lawmaker Elizaldy Co, who is facing legal troubles involving alleged irregularities in flood control projects and budget insertions, has “zero credibility” to stand as a witness in the impeachment case against President Marcos Jr., as floated by some pro-Duterte supporters, Senator Win Gatchalian asserted Sunday.

Co, an erstwhile administration ally, had explicitly tagged Marcos as the orchestrator of the P100 billion worth of insertions in the graft-ridden 2025 budget, accusing him of pocketing P25 billion of the amount.

Gatchalian, however, cast doubt on the probability that Co would stand firm by his allegation before the impeachment trial court, given his continued refusal to return to the Philippines amid an arrest warrant from the Sandiganbayan.

“Zaldy Co has no credibility. If he really wanted to help, he should have come back home a long time ago,” he said in Filipino in a radio interview.

“He is abroad, but he keeps yammering. We shouldn’t pay too much attention to him because he isn’t even here,” the senator added.

Co left the Philippines for the United States in July last year for “medical treatment” and has yet to return to the country, defying subpoenas and warrants.

DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla said the former solon is currently hiding in a gated residential community in Lisbon, Portugal, and has already sent feelers indicating a proposed dialogue with Philippine authorities. This was flatly denied by Co’s lawyer, Ruy Rondain.

Former partylist legislator Mike Defensor had claimed that Co is “willing” to testify against Marcos concerning the alleged corruption scheme in the national budget, which is one of the grounds cited in the impeachment complaint he filed along with former lawmakers Chavit Singson, Jing Paras, and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio — known supporters of the Dutertes — on Thursday.

The petition was supposed to be the third impeachment case that could have been brought against the President in barely a week but faced a major roadblock after the House of Representatives declined to receive it, as Secretary General Cheloy Garafil, who is mandated to receive impeachment cases, is reportedly abroad.

Gatchalian declined to comment on whether the impeachment complaint has merit but warned the House to remain vigilant against possible politicking, saying it could hurt the economy by discouraging investors from doing business in the country due to instability.

“If you are investing here in the Philippines, you’d feel uneasy because a lot is going on in politics,” he said. “If it is just for politics, do not do it because it will affect our economy’s growth,” he added, referring to the petitioners.

Marcos downplayed Co’s kickback allegations, saying he “won’t dignify” them. The administration has also doubled down on efforts to bring Co before Philippine courts, as he stands accused of similar corruption allegations, by ordering authorities to exhaust all possible options to repatriate the former lawmaker.