Former congressman Zaldy Co has implicated First Lady Liza Marcos in alleged anomalies involving rice and onion importation. In a video posted on his social media, Co claimed that Marcos tried to stop a 2022 House inquiry into soaring onion prices on behalf of her brother, Martin Araneta, whom he accused of controlling onion imports. "If you will recall, in 2022, there was an investigation in the House of Representatives led by Congressman Toto Suansing because the price of onions was too high. It reached P600 per kilo when it should only be around P80," Co said. "There, the name of Martin Araneta emerged as one of those behind the control of onion importation. But the investigation did not push through. That's why nothing happened and no one was punished." Co also stated that the Speaker of the House told him that First Lady Liza Marcos personally called him to stop the investigation. "It turns out that the First Lady's brother controls the importation of onions," he added. Co also accused House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel of attempting to halt the House Quinto Committee probe into rice prices in consideration of the First Lady. "While the Quinta Committee, led by Congressman Joey Salceda, was investigating this, it was suddenly stopped by Secretary Kiko Laurel Tiu after he presented a confidential report. According to Secretary Laurel, the First Lady might be affected if the investigation continues, as some rice importers were with them during the Vietnam visit, and they even had dinner there," Co said. He added that this partly explained why rice prices remained high despite the reduction of import taxes from 35% to 15%. Co further alleged that fish importation is controlled by a few companies, keeping prices, including that of galunggong, elevated. During a budget hearing last September, Tiu-Laurel said Co had pressured him to allocate fish imports to certain companies, but he refused. Additionally, Co claimed that "SOP collections" from the Bureau of Customs and sugar companies were used to fund the administration's campaign in the 2025 midterm elections, totaling billions of pesos and controlled by a few companies. The Palace has yet to issue a response to Co's allegations.
