Political analysts believe that the Duterte camp will be the biggest beneficiaries of the videos posted by Resigned Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Zaldy Co, alleging the involvement of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the 2025 budget insertions.
In an interview with Manila Standard, political sociologist Frederick Rey said the resigned congressman’s move can only be interpreted as an attempt to win the war of perception, noting that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
“Surely, VP [Sara Duterte] will benefit from the expose, although it was unfounded and without any legal weight. An attempt to win the war of perception. The manifestation of Zaldy Co is more of a survival strategy rather than an aid to hold corrupt public officials accountable,” he said.
Rey, who is also an academic researcher from the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters, warned the public to be vigilant and take Co’s allegations seriously only once it is made under oath or notarized.
While Blue Ribbon Committee Chairperson Sen. Panfilo Lacson appears to be unmoved by the video, Rey believes it is intended to fuel a mass mobilization being organized by the Duterte faction, including Iglesia ni Cristo (INC).
In a separate interview with News5, political analyst Ronald Llamas said it is clear that the opposition, particularly the Dutertes, will benefit from the apparent reversal of Co.
“The clear beneficiary of his testimony are the Dutertes. The rumor is that there is a senator who spoke to him. The rumor is that there is a senator who is in the [Duterte] opposition who is his handler now,” he said in Filipino.
Llamas, former political affairs adviser to President Benigno Aquino III, described Co’s sudden appearance as “very dramatic” and fortuitously timed, in view of today’s rally by the INC.
