By Marjuice Destinado
Bulatlat.com

Claim: Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Louise Co is related to Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co.

Rating: False.

Impact on the community: The false claim in the form of a question discredits Kabataan Party-list’s work in advancing youth rights and diverts attention from legitimate questions on the Office of the Vice President’s (OVP) use of public funds.

Context and facts: Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Louise Co is not related to Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co. The claim emerged yesterday, Sept. 16, during the House Committee on Appropriations hearing on the proposed P903-million budget for the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

The exchange happened in the middle of questioning, when Co raised a follow-up to ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio’s query on whether public funds were used in Vice President Sara Duterte’s overseas trips. 

Instead of directly answering, Duterte asked presiding vice chair and Palawan Rep. Jose Alvarez if she could pose a question and went on to ask if Renee and Zaldy were cousins.

Alvarez allowed it, prompting Renee to categorically state, “I have no familial relations po to Rep. Zaldy Co or any of their relatives po.”

The diversion came as Duterte faced scrutiny for the OVP’s use of public funds, including P7.473 million spent on staff and security for her foreign travels since July 2024. Duterte had earlier deflected questions on these expenses by invoking parliamentary courtesy, pointing to the Commission on Audit, or saying the matters were tied to a possible impeachment trial.

Co later said that more lawmakers should have been allowed to grill the Vice President: “She is the second highest official of the land. It’s a pity that fellow lawmakers were not given the chance to ask questions so she could explain a lot of issues. The hearing was terminated immediately. Are we afraid of being questioned?”

Even before the hearing, Co had publicly clarified in a TikTok video that she is from Malabon, her parents are from Cebu, and she has no roots in Bicol. She also stressed that none of Kabataan Party-list’s 2025 nominees belong to political dynasties, emphasizing their mandate to represent the youth sector rather than entrenched families in power.

The attempt to paint her as part of a dynasty not only distorts the truth but also distracts from urgent questions of transparency and accountability. At stake is not Renee Co’s surname, but whether the public will ever get clear answers on how the Vice President uses public funds. (AMU, DAA)