(UPDATE) AKO Bicol Party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co is in the United States for medical treatment, House spokesman Priscilla Abante confirmed on Thursday.

News of Co’s whereabouts comes amid speculation that the former chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations had left the country amid investigations into anomalous flood control projects, some of which involved his company, Sunwest Construction.

Sunwest is one of the 15 contractors that cornered 18 percent of flood control funds in the last three years.

On Tuesday, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco tagged Co as among those who had requested billions of pesos from the Department of Public Works and Highways for projects in his district.

“I know he is currently out of the country. I understand he is in the United States for medical treatment with appropriate travel documents,” Abante said.

However, Abante did not say how long Co’s travel clearance was for, and that she had to coordinate with the office of Secretary-General Reginald Velasco for that information.

Abante also said the House Infrastructure Committee, or Infracom, chaired by Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, will not invite Co to answer allegations regarding his insertions in the 2025 budget as it is not in the scope of the panel’s investigation.

“Infracom will focus on the allegations on flood control projects. And we saw how the committee set its direction on their initial focus. They wanted to prioritize the flood control projects that were tagged by the President himself as ghost projects,” Abante said.

If, however, the topic of insertions comes up during the hearing, then Co’s presence could be relevant, Abante added.

She also said the committee is committed to making sure that those behind the anomalous flood control projects would be revealed and addressed in the investigation, with a motion being passed that the members must disclose if they have conflicts of interest., This news data comes from:http://aichuwei.com

Meanwhile, Abante said the House is confident that it can pass the 2026 national budget despite a request by House leaders to the Department of Budget and Management to review the 2026 National Expenditure Program.

Co out of country for medical reasons

She said those agencies without any problems on their items or allocations are now being deliberated, and that the call of the House leadership could be done through corrections made during the deliberations.