In a surprising move, the son of President Marcos yesterday declared the position of chairman of the appropriations committee of the House of Representatives vacant, coinciding with the re-opening of the Congress session after a month-long holiday break.
No objection was heard when House Senior Deputy Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, from the first district of Ilocos Norte, declared that the powerful committee, headed by Rep. Zaldy Co of Ako Bicol party-list since July 2022.
There are speculations that President Marcos did not like Co's behavior, which is a possible reason why the young Marcos himself initiated the move to remove him from office.
No one has been named to replace Co in the said position until last night during the plenary deliberations.
According to sources, Co's replacement could be someone close to Marcos, a novice or first-term congressman who underwent on-the-job training in the office of Marcos' uncle before 2022.
Meanwhile, Co extended his "heartfelt gratitude" to his colleagues in the House for "warmly accepting my decision to step down."
“This decision, with a heavy heart, is prompted by serious health concerns. The excessive demand of my duty has affected my condition, and I have to prioritize getting the necessary medical attention for my health,” said the lawmaker from Bicol.
"I always served according to the wishes of the majority. I am very honored to be entrusted with the great responsibility of managing the country's budget for the service of the Chamber and our representative citizens," added Co.
Speaker Martin Romualdez, Sandro Marcos' uncle, served as the majority leader of the House from 2019 to 2022 under former speakers Alan Peter Cayetano and Lord Allan Velasco during the era of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
As chairman of the appropriations panel, Co, together with senior vice chairperson Stella Luz Quimbo of Marikina's second district, presided over the national budget for fiscal years 2023, 2024, and 2025, with the latter receiving a veto from President Marcos.
Co, a senior administration legislator, also chairs the 61-member Party-List Coalition Foundation Inc. in the House, which comprises about 20 percent of the 246 total congressional districts nationwide.
Meanwhile, the Speaker promised yesterday, upon reopening the session, that the House will continue its investigations aimed at lowering the price of rice and other food as well as electricity.
“Good governance requires transparency and accountability. This assembly is the defender of that principle. In the coming weeks, we will hold oversight hearings to ensure that public money goes to the needs of the people,” he told his colleagues.
Romualdez, from the first district of Leyte, said the House will also investigate the issue of P11.18 billion worth of expired drugs and unused PhilHealth funds – an insult to every Filipino who has difficulty accessing health services .
"We will also investigate the alleged misuse of confidential funds, because no peso should go undetected," added the administration leader, who heads the Lakas-CMD party of the administration coalition.
"Let this be our promise: public trust is sacred, and the House will never betray it," concluded the Speaker.
