MANILA – Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. unleashed a blistering takedown on Thursday, dismissing resigned lawmaker Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co’s explosive claims of agricultural smuggling rings tied to First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos as nothing more than a “fabricated lie” – or, in his colorful words, a masterful stitch-job worthy of a binge-worthy Netflix thriller. The sharp rebuttal comes amid Co’s relentless “tell-all” video barrage, which has already scorched the political landscape with finger-pointing at the Palace inner circle over everything from onion cartels to rice rackets.
Tiu Laurel, speaking to reporters with the fire of a man who’s seen one too many tall tales, didn’t hold back on Co’s latest bombshell: Allegations that the First Lady not only meddled in a congressional probe into skyrocketing food prices but also looped in her brother, Martin Araneta, to grease the wheels of illicit onion imports. “It’s total baloney,” the secretary scoffed, channeling his inner film critic. “Sinabi ko nga parang scripts sa Netflix series. Talagang ang galing… puwede mo siyang tawaging mananahi e. Ang galing magtahi ng kuwento.” Translation? Co’s not a whistleblower; he’s a scriptwriter extraordinaire, weaving wild yarns that could script the next season of political drama.
The DA chief went further, flatly denying any whisper of Palace interference in departmental dealings or Araneta’s fingerprints on the onion saga – a sector that’s been a powder keg since 2022’s price spikes hit P600 per kilo, sparking blacklists and probes that fizzled under scrutiny. “There’s no involvement from the First Lady in any DA matters,” Tiu Laurel insisted, framing Co’s clips as agenda-fueled fiction rather than a crusade for farmers or consumers. In a pointed jab at the fugitive ex-rep, now dodging an arrest warrant tied to a multi-billion flood fiasco, he issued a homecoming challenge: “Zaldy Co, ang masasabi ko sa ‘yo, umuwi ka na. Harapin mo na. Iyan ang panawagan ng mamamayang Pilipino.” Come back, face the music – that’s the Filipino people’s plea, he urged.
This isn’t Co’s first swing in his one-man media melee; his videos have already roped in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Speaker Martin Romualdez, and a supposed P100-billion pork pipeline, turning budget hearings into blockbuster hearings. But Tiu Laurel’s pushback adds fresh fuel to the fire, casting the allegations as self-serving sideshows that distract from real agri woes like El Niño droughts and import dependencies. For the DA, it’s business as usual: Battling pests, pushing subsidies, and keeping shelves stocked – not chasing ghosts conjured by a man on the run.
As Co’s digital dispatches keep dropping like holiday gifts nobody asked for, Tiu Laurel’s retort underscores a Palace playbook of deflection and demands for accountability. Will it quiet the storm, or just crank up the volume on a scandal that’s got Manila’s elite sweating and the public scrolling for the next plot twist? One thing’s clear: In the theater of Philippine politics, the scriptwriters are stealing the show – but the audience is demanding a reckoning.