Zaldy is obviously a desperate man. He may not admit it, but he knows his days are numbered. The fact that he decided to betray his “friends,” particularly the former speaker, indicates he has run out of options to extricate himself from the mess he is in. Unlike other individuals implicated in this flood control controversy, he cannot just shift the blame to anyone else since he is also at the top of the food web. In addition, most of the pieces of evidence that have so far been presented — either object or testimonial — seem to point to him as one of the main culprits.
So it is not surprising that he released his two tell-all videos passing the buck to the President as a last-ditch effort to salvage his extremely difficult situation. To be honest, he only has two options here: either keep on hiding until the dust settles and conditions become different — albeit under pain of getting caught and prosecuted — or appeal to public sympathy so he can help trigger some seismic event that would allow him to live another day.
From a legal standpoint, Zaldy’s allegations do not hold water. To begin with, he needs to do it under oath so there could be accountability, assuming he is lying. But for both said videos and his affidavit to have probative value, they need testimonial support. This means he has to come here and testify. Otherwise, they would be useless once presented as evidence. That is basic.
There is also the issue of credibility. Whether he likes it or not, the fact that he is a primary suspect and has allegedly greatly benefited from his reported insertions would cast doubt on the integrity of his testimony.
At any rate, it should be noted that from a political standpoint, his revelations could result in something catastrophic at the expense of the President. Remember the impeachment case against the Vice President? What started as mere rumor-mongering became the basis for political maneuverings that consequently led to the gathering of evidence — forced or otherwise — against her. The only thing that favors the President is that he currently controls governmental machineries and resources. But that would not prevent his opponents from taking advantage of this opportunity that has miraculously landed on their laps. Filipinos, take note, are historically reactive. We do not act based on critical understanding of issues but on how we are provoked and precipitated.
But that is how politics works. Three months ago, the VP was the most vilified person on the planet. But for some strange reason, the tide has turned.