Photo courtesy: Zaldy Co facebook page
The President recently announced the possible filing of plunder, anti-graft, and indirect bribery charges against Speaker Martin Romualdez and former Congressman Zaldy Co. At first glance, it appears that the government has had a sudden change of heart and is finally willing to pursue the “real culprits” of the flood control scandal. This shift came only after Zaldy Co publicly accused the President himself of being the true mastermind behind the flood control anomaly and the overarching system of corruption embedded across the DPWH budget.
We have not yet seen the full extent of these schemes, but the budget insertions clearly cut across the entire government: DOTR, DOH, DepEd, and more.
Ombudsman Boying Remulla himself pointed out how Zaldy Co tried to corner the e-passport machine contracts of the Bureau of Immigration, while Secretary Kiko Laurel told Congress that Zaldy had demanded control over fish import allocations. The pattern is unmistakable—this is not an isolated scandal, but a system.
Just week ago, Executive Secretary Bersamin and Secretary Ameenah were “forced” to resign as the administration began shaping a narrative that they were the central figures behind the massive collections from contractors. This framing was reinforced when Sen. Ping Lacson disclosed that Usec. Bernardo had submitted an affidavit claiming that ES Bersamin and Sec. Pangandaman received ₱26 billion.
But Zaldy Co immediately disputed this. He clarified that the amount involved was not ₱26 billion but ₱52 billion, and that this ₱52 billion came exclusively from the Bulacan flood control projects. He further explained that the ₱25 billion he delivered directly to the President was entirely separate, drawn from another allocation within a ₱100-billion fund, and not connected to the Bulacan projects at all.
In simple terms:
• Usec. Bernardo claimed ₱26B went to Bersamin & Pangandaman;
• Zaldy corrected it to ₱52B, all from Bulacan flood control;
• The ₱25B he personally delivered went straight to the President and came from a different budget allocation.
This is why the narrative is collapsing. The facts simply do not align with the version being pushed to exonerate the President by sacrificing subordinate officials.
Two narratives are now being floated:
- That ES Bersamin and Sec. Ameenah (Pangandaman) masterminded the massive corruption;
- That Speaker Martin Romualdez and Zaldy Co were responsible.
In both versions, the President is presented as innocent—a passive, unsuspecting victim of conniving people around him who supposedly amassed this gargantuan wealth without his knowledge.
A month ago, perhaps these stories could have been believed. But after Zaldy Co’s revelations—delivered at great personal risk—it is clear to me, and to many, that the President was involved from the very beginning. He was not a bystander. He was the architect, the puppeteer, the one who allowed and orchestrated the corruption coursing through the national budget. No matter how they twist the story, the buck stops at his office.
They will continue to maneuver, to fabricate narratives, and to massage public opinion in an attempt to contain outrage. They will try to survive politically until 2028 by controlling the storyline, suppressing dissent, and distracting the nation.
But for me, everything is in God’s hands. Despite their power, resources, and the police force under their command, the truth is emerging. They could not stop these revelations, no matter how hard they tried. We are small compared to the machinery of the state, but with the Lord’s guidance, justice will come—for our nation and for our people.
