09/10/2025
Sino si Kito Co, ang kapatid ni Zaldy Co?
[COMMENTARY] Zaldy and Kito: Two Sides of the Same Scandal
Over coffee this morning, I scrolled past another headline with Zaldy Co’s name on it.
He’s become the face of the DPWH flood control mess.
Every article, every hearing, every leak — his name is there.
But here’s the part people miss.
Behind the spotlight stands his brother, Christopher “Kito” Co, the man who built the empire that made this scandal possible.
And maybe I take this a bit more personally than most.
Because I’m from Albay.
I grew up seeing that last name on streamers, billboards, and project signs.
I still get secondhand embarrassment thinking about how deep their reach went — and how many of us cheered them on without asking questions.
I have friends, even former colleagues, who voted for them.
Some defended them online like it was a sport.
Maybe that’s why I feel the responsibility to keep talking about it.
If I stay quiet while knowing how this system works, then what business do I have calling myself a commentator?
The Co’s don’t always respond themselves.
They have trolls for that — the kind who flood comment sections and twist every criticism into noise.
That’s why every time I write about them, I lock the article.
Not out of fear, but because I’m tired of watching people argue with paid ghosts.
🟥 The Empire Beneath the Headlines
Kito and Zaldy started Sunwest Construction in 1997.
That company later grew into one of the most powerful contractors in the Bicol region.
Then Kito branched out, building Hi-Tone Construction, another flood control giant that quietly took over projects worth billions.
From 2022 to 2024 alone, Hi-Tone bagged ₱4.86 billion across 61 projects — 23 of them in Albay, their home turf.
If you added Hi-Tone and Sunwest together, they’d sit near the top of the entire flood control industry.
So while Zaldy handled the budget, Kito handled the ex*****on.
The system worked smoothly — until it didn’t.
🟥 Why Zaldy Took the Fall
Zaldy wasn’t just another congressman.
He chaired the House Appropriations Committee, the most powerful seat in budget politics.
That position gave him control over where billions went — and who benefited.
He could move projects with a signature.
Witnesses say he did exactly that.
Former DPWH engineer Henry Alcantara called him the “top proponent” of ₱35 billion in flood-control insertions.
The alleged kickback rates climbed from 20% to 25% between 2022 and 2025.
That’s why he’s the headline.
The politician always is.
He was the visible part of the machine — the one who smiled while the money moved.
🟥 Kito’s Quieter Role
Kito stayed out of the camera frame.
He didn’t need to speak; his companies did the talking.
When Hi-Tone Construction kept landing contracts, nobody blinked.
Flood control projects don’t make noise unless they fail.
They’re buried in cement and paperwork, easy to hide and hard to question.
Then the DPWH asked the Anti-Money Laundering Council to freeze assets tied to Hi-Tone — nearly ₱5 billion worth.
That’s when Kito’s name started surfacing in reports.
But he hasn’t been charged like his brother.
Not yet.
Maybe because he holds no public office.
Maybe because proving who pocketed what gets murky once public funds turn into private contracts.
🟥 The Family Pattern
The Co family runs like a network, not a household.
Their sister Farida “Diday” Co is the Vice Governor of Albay — and she owns a construction firm too.
Politics, business, and public works live under the same roof.
Each sibling holds a role: one writes the budgets, one wins the contracts, one manages the local ties.
Nothing accidental there. Every move was planned.
🟥 When Power Becomes a Habit
Zaldy’s position opened the doors.
Kito’s companies walked right through.
Together, they turned budget politics into a private business.
₱13.8 billion in last-minute insertions for 2025.
Projects stacked in the same regions.
Contractors who always seemed to win.
Every road leading back to the same surname.
While the headlines focus on Zaldy, Kito’s world runs underneath — quieter, but no less powerful.
🟥 The Politics of Silence
In May 2025, Kito lost his congressional race in Albay’s 2nd District.
He tried to step into politics directly and failed.
But the companies stayed.
The projects stayed.
And so did the silence.
Then came the backlash online — not from budgets, but from Instagram.
His daughter Claudine flaunted private jets, designer bags, and luxury trips.
People saw it, got angry, and she disappeared from social media soon after.
That silence said everything.
🟥 The Investigation
The Department of Justice has recommended charges against Zaldy Co, Senators Villanueva and Estrada, and several DPWH officials.
Kito’s name isn’t on that list.
At least not for now.
The spotlight stays on Zaldy’s budget trail, but the operation couldn’t have thrived without both ends working in sync — one signing, one building.
Zaldy moved the funds.
Kito moved the dirt.
🟥 A Family Blueprint
In Albay, the Co name used to mean progress.
Now it feels like a warning.
They turned public service into a private enterprise, and they did it in plain sight.
One brother inside the system.
Another profiting outside it.
A sister holding the province steady.
People in my province deserve better.
We deserve leaders who build roads without taking a cut from every inch poured in concrete.
We deserve politicians who treat power as duty, not inheritance.
And if speaking about it feels uncomfortable, then maybe that’s a good thing.
Discomfort means we’re finally seeing what’s been there all along.
Personally, I talk about the Co’s because silence keeps people like them comfortable.
Albay is just one place, but what happens here shows how the system really works.
If we keep looking away, the same story will grow somewhere else, wearing another name.
(Note: This article is locked because of paid trolls. Share it at your own risk. Then again, paid trolls are useful if you are trying to elevate your algorithmic standing; MCT doesn't care about that.)
🟥 SOURCES:
1. Firm tied to Zaldy Co named in DPWH complaint sent, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmKAqiOBwsM
2. Philippines: Zaldy Co in Madrid, Dubai or Singapore? OFWs hunt for fugitive congressman, https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/philippines/philippines-zaldy-co-in-madrid-dubai-or-singapore-ofws-hunt-for-fugitive-congressman-1.500297274
3. Flood control projects controversy in the Philippines, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_control_projects_controversy_in_the_Philippines
4. Zaldy Co resigns as House representative amid flood control scandal, https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/29/zaldy-co-resigns-as-house-representative-amid-flood-control-scandal-1600
5. Charges pile up as Zaldy Co, Villanueva, Estrada, and Revilla face flood control controversy, https://asianjournal.com/philippines/across-the-islands/charges-pile-up-as-zaldy-co-villanueva-estrada-and-revilla-face-flood-control-controversy/
6. Philippines: Flood-Control Corruption and Youth Uprising, https://www.asiamediacentre.org.nz/flood-control-corruption-and-youth-uprising-in-the-philippines
7. Quezon City gov't terminates four projects linked to Discaya firms, https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/7/quezon-city-gov-t-terminates-four-projects-linked-to-discaya-firms-1654
8. DPWH fortunes of Hi-Tone, firm founded by Christopher Co, https://www.reddit.com/r/Philippines/comments/1n4ppfb/dpwh_fortunes_of_hitone_firm_founded_by/
9. Zaldy Co denies he was proponent of P13 billion in 2025 budget insertions, https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/958414/zaldy-co-flood-control-projects-2025-budget-insertions/story/
10. Tiangco asks DFA to cancel Zaldy Co's passport - News, https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2121662/tiangco-asks-dfa-to-cancel-zaldy-cos-passport-time-is-of-the-essence
11. The rise of 'Disney princesses' and nepo babies in Philippine politics, https://asianjournal.com/features/opinion-editorial-columnists/the-rise-of-disney-princesses-and-nepo-babies-in-philippine-politics/
12. Visualizing the staggering scale of flood control corruption, https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2118008/what-billions-look-like-visualizing-the-staggering-scale-of-flood-control-corruption
13. DPWH refers 2 cases of bid-rigging, manipulation to PCC, https://dzrh.com.ph/post/dpwh-refers-2-cases-of-bid-rigging-manipulation-to-pcc
14. The Philippine Competition Commission, https://www.instagram.com/p/DPh5Gp5j2b5/
15. ICI recommends raps vs Co, other DPWH officials amid 'ghost' flood control project, https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/29/ici-recommends-filing-of-cases-against-zaldy-co-over-mindoro-flood-control-project-1411
16. Flood control scam raps eyed vs. Zaldy Co, 2 senators, https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1259351
17. Kawawa talaga.. Samantalang di tinamaan ang mga taga, https://www.instagram.com/reel/DN6P77KCuZf/
18. Ex-DPWH official Henry Alcantara tags Revilla, Estrada, Villanueva, Co in budget insertions, kickbacks, https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/23/henry-alcantara-tags-revilla-estrada-villanueva-co-in-budget-insertions-kickbacks-1041
19. Co Family Flood Control, https://www.reddit.com/r/Philippines/comments/1mpe6um/co_family_flood_control/
20. Zaldy Co, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaldy_Co
21. DPWH fortunes of Hi-Tone, firm founded by Christopher Co, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGpNh9QWWTs
22. HI-TONE OWNER is Christopher Co a former, https://www.reddit.com/r/Philippines/comments/1n4pyhs/hitone_owner_is_christopher_co_a_former/
23. Christopher Co, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Co
24. Farm-to-market roads 'overpriced' by up to 70%, https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2121881/farm-to-market-roads-overpriced-by-up-to-70
25. House tricom to probe flood control projects, https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2094913/house-tricom-to-probe-flood-control-projects
26. Zaldy Co should clarify ties to SunWest, alleged budget insertions, https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/6/zaldy-co-should-clarify-ties-to-sunwest-alleged-budget-insertions-lawmaker-1218
27. Politicians' Influencer Kids Draw Flak Amid DPWH Backlash, https://rollingstonephilippines.com/state-of-affairs/politics/politicians-influencer-kids-dwph-backlash/
28. The congressman and the billions: Tracing the power of Zaldy Co, https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2111062/the-congressman-and-the-billions-tracing-the-power-of-zaldy-co-2
29. DaretoaskPH, https://x.com/DaretoaskPH/status/1954792189349052736
30. Marcos Reveals Top 15 DPWH Contractors Worth P100B, https://www.instagram.com/p/DNQEItzhl9O/
31. People v Christopher H., https://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/other-courts/2025/2025-ny-slip-op-25066.html
32. News Flash - Yardley Man Sentenced for Politically Motivated, https://www.buckscounty.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1437
33. I wonder when DPWH will file a case against Zaldy Co's, https://www.reddit.com/r/newsPH/comments/1neh196/kailan_kaya_kakasuhan_ng_dpwh_ang_construction/
34. In re Christopher S., 2025 IL App (5th) 241114-U,https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/1335119d-b162-43de-b6ad-c085b9bc7741/In%20re%20Christopher%20S.,%202025%20IL%20App%20(5th)%20241114-U.pdf
35. I just read PCIJ's "Five Reveals from the Flood‑Control, https://www.reddit.com/r/ChikaPH/comments/1n4oyxa/i_just_read_pcijs_five_reveals_from_the/
36. All the Presidents' Contractors: For 20 years, Malacañang, https://pcij.org/2025/09/04/all-the-presidents-contractors/
37. Literal 'party' from the party-list system: The case of Ako Bicol, https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2120659/literal-party-from-the-party-list-system-the-case-of-ako-bicol
38. Zaldy Co, https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Zaldy%20Co
39. Zaldy, Christopher Co, May Summons na sa Blue Ribbon, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wewFa7-VHak
40. Possible plunder case against Christopher Lao 'airtight, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5js2x6We75M
41. Court Fines (9/27 - 10/8), https://goconow.com/court-fines-9-27-10-8/
42. DPWH asks AMLC to freeze assets of contractors, personalities in flood control scandal, https://www.bworldonline.com/breaking-news/2025/09/24/700516/dpwh-asks-amlc-to-freeze-assets-of-contractors-personalities-in-flood-control-scandal/
43. Insertions in the storm: When flood control feeds the corrupt, https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2109126/insertions-in-the-storm-when-flood-control-feeds-the-corrupt
44. FACT CHECK: Zaldy Co, Martin Romualdez NOT arrested, https://verafiles.org/articles/fact-check-zaldy-co-martin-romualdez-not-arrested
45. COA to file charges vs DPWH officials, contractors over 'ghost' flood projects, https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/1/coa-to-file-charges-against-dpwh-officials-contractors-over-ghost-flood-projects-1209
46. Supreme Court E-Library Information At Your Fingertips, https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/22/57940
47. Palace urges Zaldy Co to return and face charges, https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/10/01/news/palace-urges-zaldy-co-to-return-and-face-charges-lawmakers-say-resignation-not-enough/2192627
48. DPWH to AMLC: Freeze P4.3 billion worth of Zaldy Co, https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/960130/dpwh-request-amlc-freeze-air-assets-zaldy-co-brother-flood-control/story/
49. Martin Romualdez and Zaldy Co's Grip on the DPWH, https://www.reddit.com/r/newsPH/comments/1n7wnyz/martin_romualdez_and_zaldy_cos_grip_on_the_dpwh/
50. Zaldy Co, Sarah Discaya tied to some top flood control, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8H2eRBD-8Q
