EMBATTLED Ako Bicol party-list Representative Elizalde “Zaldy” Co has resigned as a member of the House of Representatives amid allegations linking him to anomalous flood control projects.
In his resignation letter dated September 29, 2025, addressed to House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, Co said his irrevocable resignation was effective immediately.
“On account of the real, direct, grave and imminent threat to the lives of my family members and me, and the evident denial of my right to due process of law, I am constrained to tender with immediate effect my irrevocable resignation as a member of the House of Representatives. The Ako Bicol party-list will inform your good office of the nominee who will take my place in the House of Representatives,” Co wrote.
Co also addressed the letter-complaint filed against him by Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco on September 22.
He again denied masterminding, tolerating, or deliberately allowing last-minute insertions and realignments in the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) during his tenure as chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, saying it was “improbable, if not absolutely impossible” for him to make insertions without the knowledge or approval of both chambers of Congress.
“The 2025 GAA was eventually signed into law by the President after what we, as members of the House of Representatives, understood to be a thorough scrutiny by His Excellency of each and every item to ensure that everything is in order,” Co said.
“Presently, the validity of the 2025 GAA is the subject of a Supreme Court proceeding and a case before the Office of the Ombudsman. Until such time as these tribunals make a ruling on the matter, it is premature for Representative Tiangco to claim that the 2025 GAA, including the Bicameral Report, is not valid and/or that I, on my own, made insertions in these documents,” he added.
Co also defended his absence from the House for medical reasons, which Tiangco earlier described as unsubstantiated due to the lack of medical certificates.
He said the House of Representatives, then under Speaker Martin Romualdez, did not require him to submit medical certificates when it approved his leave of absence.
“Even if I am physically absent from the Philippines, I continue to render public service remotely,” Co said.
He also denied Tiangco’s claims that he and his family engaged in extravagant or ostentatious displays of wealth.
“Our lifestyles have not changed from before I became a public official up to now. My wife and children keep away from the media and they certainly do not display what we own to the public. While I do have postings through media, these are focused on the various projects of the Ako Bicol party-list. My family and I also do not live beyond our means,” he said.
Co, who is accused of pocketing billions of pesos in kickbacks from anomalous flood control projects, maintained that he did not acquire or receive personal pecuniary interest from projects awarded to Sunwest, one of the top 15 construction firms that bagged 20 percent, or P100 billion, worth of flood control projects in the country from 2022 to 2025.
“I should not be penalized on the basis of Representative Tiangco’s mere speculation about this matter,” Co said.
“Again, it is premature for Representative Tiangco to make such speculations considering that no court of law has made a determination as to whether or not I acquired or received anything from such projects,” he added.
In a separate letter addressed to the Ako Bicol party-list, Co said he would take a leave of absence from the group “until such time it is safe for me to return to the Philippines.”
“All I can tell you now is that the accusations being made against me are false. In due time, I will give my statements on the matter. At present, I can only stay silent to protect my family and myself. We are in grave danger,” he said. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)