In a political tremor shaking the very foundations of the administration, a former congressman has broken his silence from abroad, unleashing a torrent of allegations that point directly to the highest office in the land. After a long period of concealment, former Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Zaldy Co has emerged with an explosive video statement, claiming President Bongbong Marcos himself ordered the insertion of ₱100 billion in projects into the national budget.

This bombshell revelation has sent shockwaves across all social media platforms, igniting a firestorm that the Palace, Congress, and government agencies are struggling to contain. Co, who claims he is now being set up as a “scapegoat,” has vowed to release all the evidence, stating he fears for his wellbeing but will no longer be silent.

“I know you are all angry with me right now,” Co began, addressing the Filipino people. “I understand why, especially with the huge sum at stake. But before you judge me, let me explain the whole truth.”

According to Co, he remained silent for so long because of a “direct order” to stay quiet and not return to the Philippines. “I left on July 19, 2025, for a medical checkup,” he detailed. “I was planning to return after the President’s SONA. But as I was heading home, I was called by former Speaker Martin Romualdez and was told, ‘Stay out of the country. You will be well taken care of, as instructed by the president.’”

Co admits he followed the order, believing he would be protected. “I kept my mouth shut. I obeyed. But I didn’t know that what they meant by ‘we will take care of you’ was that they would use me as a scapegoat in their campaign against corruption. They made me the poster boy of their own lies.”

“Now, I will no longer be silent,” he declared. “I will release the whole truth. There are receipts, there is evidence, and there are names.”

The ₱100 Billion Instruction
The core of Co’s allegation dates back to the Bicameral Conference Committee (Bicam) process for the 2025 budget. “It started when Secretary Mina Pangandaman [DBM] called me,” Co recounted. “She said, ‘We just finished a meeting with President Bongbong Marcos, and there’s an instruction to insert ₱100 billion worth of projects in the Bicam.’”

To be certain, Co claims Pangandaman advised him to confirm with Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin, who was also in the meeting with the president. “I immediately called Usec. Adrian Bersamin and asked him if there was indeed an instruction from the president to insert ₱100 billion. He said, ‘Yes, it’s true.’”

Following this confirmation, Co says he reported the instruction to then-Speaker Martin Romualdez. Romualdez’s alleged reply was chillingly simple: “What the president wants, he gets.”

Days later, Co alleges a meeting was set at the Aguado Building, across from Malacañang’s Gate 4, attended by himself, Romualdez, Pangandaman, Bersamin, and another undersecretary, Jojo Cadis.

“During the meeting, Usec. Adrian Bersamin handed over the list worth ₱100 billion,” Co stated. “I asked him where the list came from. He said it came from PBBM and that he got it from a brown leather bag.”

The detail of the bag struck a chord with Co. He recalled a trip to Singapore after the May 2022 elections. “At the Hilton Hotel, as we were heading back to the Philippines with Speaker Martin and PBBM, the PSG chased after a brown leather bag. PBBM said, ‘Everyone can be left behind, but not the brown leather bag.’ That’s why I believed this was truly the President’s order.”

Co further claims that when they later tried to split the insertion—₱50 billion in programmed funds and ₱50 billion in unprogrammed funds, as the DPWH budget cannot exceed the education budget—the plan was rejected. “After a day, Mina called me and relayed the president’s message: ‘You insert all of it because Speaker Martin already promised me that. It cannot be changed.’ The king’s order cannot be broken.”

“This is why I am stunned when the President says he doesn’t recognize the budget,” Co concluded. “Every single item that was reduced or added to any agency’s budget, Secretary Mina Pangandaman asked for his approval.”

A Nation on Edge
Co’s confession lands in a nation already simmering with discontent. The allegations are fueling a massive rally planned for November 16-18, and the government’s reaction is telling. A staggering 16,400 police officers are being deployed. To many observers, this isn’t a show of force; it’s a display of fear.

The administration is clearly nervous. They know this is a critical moment. This rally, fueled by Co’s allegations, could be a tipping point. Politicians are masters of survival; they can smell which way the wind is blowing. When they see the public has turned, they will begin to jump ship, one by one, to support the rally.

The public’s anger is not just about this ₱100 billion. It’s about the crushing weight of a collapsing economy. The Philippine peso has hit ₱59 against the dollar, its lowest point under this administration. This isn’t just a number; it’s a tangible sign of failing economic stewardship and a catastrophic loss of confidence in the government. This economic freefall is a primary driver for the protests.

In a bizarre subplot, China recently provided ₱2.4 million in relief aid to the Philippines following recent deadly typhoons. Meanwhile, the United States, which the administration has courted so aggressively, has remained silent. This has led critics to mock the administration’s hardline anti-China stance, questioning the logic of provoking a neighbor while our own officials are allegedly the ones plundering the nation’s funds.

“You want to provoke a conflict with China?” one commentator raged. “You can’t even secure your own borders. Our own politicians are the reason people are perishing in these typhoons, stealing the money meant for flood control. And you want to blame China?”

The ‘Breeding’ Defense
As the nation reels, the administration’s PR machine has offered a baffling defense. When pressed on the president’s lack of public engagement and perceived weakness, his defenders, like spokesperson “Claire,” have argued that the president is “brave” but “controlled” because he has “breeding.”

This defense is being ridiculed. “So, he’s brave, but he doesn’t show it? He’s in control, but not of his own cousin?” scoffed a critic. The claim is that the president’s “bravery” is not seen in shouting or cursing, but in his “leadership.”

This has opened the floodgates of “what leadership?” Is it leadership when the biggest drug bust in Philippine history happens, and the case mysteriously vanishes? Is it leadership when your one campaign promise—Unity—is immediately shattered? Is it leadership when you are perceived as so ineffectual that you cannot control your own relatives, leading the country into its worst corruption scandals?

The public is being told to believe in “breeding” while they are drowning in floods, the peso is worthless, and investors are fleeing.

Zaldy Co’s allegations are just the tip of the iceberg. Critics are now compiling a staggering list of unaccounted-for funds, demanding answers:

₱500 Billion in flood control budgets

₱250 Billion for the Maharlika fund, right at the get-go

₱129 Billion from sold gold reserves

₱89 Billion from PhilHealth funds

₱62 Billion from GSIS funds

₱62 Billion from SSS funds

And this doesn’t even touch the frequent, statistically improbable jackpots in the lotto.

The challenge has been issued. The people are gathering. And a single question hangs over the nation, directed at the President: “This all happened under your watch. Is it true? And if it is, where did all the money go?”