A political earthquake has just shaken the nation to its core. A bombshell video confession from a high-level political figure, Congressman Elizalde “Zaldico” Co, has emerged, alleging a conspiracy at the highest levels of government to insert a staggering 100 billion pesos worth of projects into the 2025 national budget. In his shocking testimony, Co directly implicates President Bongbong Marcos, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, and Budget Secretary Amenah “Mina” Pangandaman in the scheme.

The dam of silence broke as Co, appearing distressed but resolute, declared he would no longer remain quiet. “I will no longer be silent. I will reveal the whole truth,” Co stated, promising he has the “receipts, evidence, and names” to back his claims.

This explosive revelation comes as a separate Senate inquiry, dismissed by critics as a “worthless hearing,” struggles to get answers, seemingly obstructed by legal maneuvering. But Co’s direct-to-public confession has bypassed the sluggish pace of the legislature, painting a damning picture of a plot orchestrated from the top.

The 100 Billion Allegation: ‘What the President Wants, He Gets’

According to Co’s detailed account, the operation began during the 2024 BCAM (Bicameral Conference Committee) process.

“It started when Secretary Mina Pangandaman called me,” Co recounted. “She said she had just finished a meeting with the President and had instructions to insert 100 billion worth of projects into the bicam.” To verify this extraordinary directive, Pangandaman allegedly told him to “confirm with Usec. Adrian Bersamin,” who was also in the presidential meeting.

Co claims he did just that. “I immediately called Usec. Adrian Bersamin and asked if there was indeed an instruction from the president… He said it was true.”

With confirmation in hand, Co says his next call was to House Speaker Martin Romualdez, reporting the president’s instructions. Romualdez’s alleged reply was chilling in its simplicity: “What the president wants, he gets.”

The alleged plot thickened days later. “Secretary Mina Pangandaman and Usec. Adrian Bersamin set a meeting with me and former Speaker Martin Romualdez at the Aguado building, in front of Gate 4 of Malacañang,” Co detailed. “Usec. Jojo Cadis was also there.”

It was at this meeting, Co alleges, that the plan was physically handed over. “Usec. Adrian Bersamin gave me the list worth 100 billion. I asked him where the list came from. He replied, ‘From PBBM,’ and he gave it to me from a brown leather bag.”

This detail—the brown leather bag—triggered a specific memory for Co, reinforcing his belief that the order came directly from the president.

“When Usec. Adrian Bersamin mentioned the brown leather bag, I remembered when we were in Singapore right after the May 2022 elections… As we were about to return to the Philippines, the PSG [Presidential Security Group] chased after the brown leather bag, and PBBM said, ‘Leave everything else, just not the brown leather bag.’ That’s why I believed this was truly the President’s order.”

A Desperate Attempt to Hide the Funds

The sheer scale of the insertion created a logistical nightmare. Co, an experienced legislator, claims he recognized the problem immediately.

He informed Romualdez, Pangandaman, Bersamin, and Cadis that it might be better to “insert only 50 billion into the programmed funds” because the full 100 billion would cause the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) budget to “exceed the DepEd (Department of Education) funds.” In practice, he noted, “the DPWH budget cannot be larger than the education budget.”

He proposed a solution: put the remaining 50 billion into “unprogrammed funds for the 2025 budget,” as the Office of the President would ultimately control its release anyway.

The proposal was rejected.

A day later, Co says he received a call from Secretary Pangandaman relaying a direct message from the president: “Insert it. Speaker Martin already promised it to me, and it cannot be changed. The king’s order cannot be broken.”

Co said he informed the Speaker, whose response was one of resignation: “We can’t do anything about it.”

This, Co claims, is why he is baffled by the president’s public statements “that he doesn’t recognize the budget.”

“How can he say that,” Co asked, “when everything that was reduced and added to the government agencies, Secretary Pangandaman was asking for his approval?”

The ‘Well Taken Care Of’ Betrayal

Co’s confession is not just an accusation; it’s the testimony of a man who believes he was set up to be the fall guy. He explains he left the Philippines on July 19, 2025, for a “medical checkup,” planning to return after the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).

But while he was en route home, he received a call from Speaker Romualdez with a new directive: “Stay out of the country. You will be well taken care of, as instructed by the president.”

“At that time, I still believed them, so I didn’t return. I kept my mouth shut. I obeyed,” Co said. “But what I didn’t know was that what they meant by ‘we will take care of you’ was that I would be used as a scapegoat in their campaign against corruption. They made me the poster boy of their own lies.”

Now, cornered and betrayed, Co has decided to fight back. “I will not be silent anymore. I will release the whole truth.” He claims to be speaking out not just for himself but “for every Filipino” who is angry about the colossal sum at stake. He even expressed concerns for his well-being, stating he was previously “threatened” and warned “what would happen” if he talked.

A “Worthless” Senate Hearing in the Shadows

As Co’s video exploded online, a separate, parallel drama was unfolding in the Senate. In a hearing related to the flood control scandal, senators like Rodante Marcoleta were attempting to grill a witness, Engineer Bernardo, about Co’s involvement.

The effort proved fruitless. Marcoleta noted that while Bernardo was “very, very descriptive” when discussing senators, providing “even the minutest detail,” he became “extremely frugal” with information when asked about congressmen, especially Zaldico.

“You said ‘Congressman Zaldico,’ and that’s it,” Marcoleta challenged the witness, sensing a “deliberate” omission.

The hearing devolved into a tense standoff when the Prosecutor General, representing the Department of Justice, began intervening, citing Republic Act 6981, the law governing the Witness Protection Program (WPP). The DOJ representative argued that Bernardo, as a potential WPP applicant, was limited in what he could say due to the “confidentiality of proceedings.”

This infuriated Senator Marcoleta. “This is my problem, Mr. Chair,” he declared. “The ability of this committee… is being limited… Why is the Department of Justice at some point interfering in the proceedings of this committee?” He argued that the WPP application should not conflict with the Senate’s investigation and that the DOJ was effectively “directing” the hearing instead of the chairman.

While the Senate hearing hit a wall of legal red tape, public commentators were quick to point out the irony: Co’s video had provided the “shortcut” to the truth that the hearing was failing to find.

The allegations have sparked immediate and furious calls for accountability, with many demanding the resignation of the President. Critics are connecting the 100 billion insertion to the upcoming 2025 midterm elections, alleging the funds were intended to be a war chest for administration candidates.

With a key insider now on the record, providing a detailed, step-by-step account that implicates the entire leadership structure, the nation is bracing for the political fallout. The “king’s order” has been revealed, and the question now is whether the king’s government can survive it.