THE House of Representatives yesterday removed Rep. Zaldy Co (PL, Ako Bicol) as chairperson of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations after the leadership accepted the lawmaker’s request to step down from his post so he could focus on attending to his health concerns.
On the motion of presidential son Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, a senior deputy majority leader, the House declared the position vacant without yet naming Co’s replacement.
The move was carried out just almost two weeks after President Marcos Jr. signed the P6.352 trillion national budget for 2025 or this year’s General Appropriations Act (GAA).
In a statement, Co extended his “heartfelt gratitude to the majority in Congress for graciously accepting my decision to step down as chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations.”
“This decision, made with a heavy heart, is driven by pressing health concerns. The highly demanding nature of my role has taken its toll, and I now need to prioritize seeking the medical attention necessary for my well-being,” he said.
“I have always served at the pleasure of the majority. I am deeply honored to have been entrusted with the immense responsibility of steering the nation’s budget in service of the House of the people and the constituents we represent,” Co added.
In the past three years, Co said he has taken pride in the House’s collective accomplishments, particularly the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) program under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which he said provides “critical support to those with income insufficient for their family needs.”
“As the proud sponsor and shepherd of the budgets for 2023, 2024, and 2025, I ensured alignment with the President’s eight-point economic agenda,” he said. “Notably, securing funding for legacy initiatives in health, housing, and food security – particularly legacy hospitals and contract farming – will remain highlights of my service. Thank you for this extraordinary privilege to serve.”
AKAP became a controversial program after critics led by Vice President Sara Duterte accused Speaker Martin Romualdez of using the program for personal political interests.
The President did not veto the P26 billion AKAP fund in the 2025 budget but added two new agencies, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) to help the DSWD oversee how the money will be spent.
AKAP provides a one-time cash assistance of P3,000 to P5,000 to qualified beneficiaries whose incomes fall below the poverty threshold and who are not covered by other government aid programs.
It is designed for the near poor, or “lower middle class” segment of the population, which includes minimum wage earners vulnerable to economic shocks like the sudden death of a household head, sickness, loss of job or runaway inflation that can easily send them back to poverty.