Surigao del Sur 1st District Rep. Romeo S. Momo Sr., urged fellow congressman Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, former chair of the House appropriations panel, to appear before the house committee conducting inquiry on flood control anomaly and 2025 budget insertions.

Momo, who chairs House Committee on Public Works and Highways, said it would be better for Co to appear and address the allegations linking him to budget insertions and clarify his ties with Sunwest Inc., the conglomerate that he founded and that landed billions in government contracts.

Based on data from the Sumbong sa Pangulo website, Sunwest Inc. secured 79 government projects worth more than P10 billion. Some of the completed projects reportedly received “poor and unsatisfactory” ratings and were flagged for subpar quality.

Sunwest Inc. was founded by Co and his brother Christopher, a former Ako Bicol representative.

“Marami ngang doubts about him and his participation sa SunWest. Kailangan siguro ma-explain niya ‘yan. But as of moment this time, hindi namin alam saan siya ngayon,” Momo said in an interview.

Co is in the United States for medical treatment, House Spokesperson Princess Abante said this week. Co’s trip is covered by a travel authority, which government officials need when leaving the country.

Co used to be chairperson of House Committee on Appropriations, the panel that has jurisdiction on public spending and the national budget.

While he formally divested from Sunwest Inc. when he was elected into office, but media investigation reported that he still retains interests in other firms connected to the group.

Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco has accused Co of inserting P13.8 billion in the bicameral conference committee version of the 2025 budget.

He said he wants the House inquiry on infrastructure projects to invite Co as a resource person to explain and prove that the “probe will spare no one.”

If the House infrastructure committee will push through with inviting lawmakers, Momo said the hearing should first establish how deep their alleged participation in the projects was, and whether the projects were substandard or were “ghost”, or existed only on paper.

When asked about supposed insertions on 2025 budget during the bicam conference, particularly in the proposed budget for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Surigao del Sur lawmaker explained that the National Expenditure Program cannot be created or decided by a single lawmaker alone.