President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called resigned Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co’s allegations against him “fake news” and urged him to return to the country and prove his statements.

“Well, look at the quality of his statements. Mahaba nang naging usapan natin tungkol sa fake news—anyone can go online and make all kinds of claims and say all kinds of things, paulit-ulit. But it means nothing. For it to mean something, umuwi siya rito, harapin niya ‘yung mga kaso niya,” Marcos said during a press conference on Monday.

He also pointed out that, unlike his accuser, he was not in hiding.

“Kung mayroon siyang gustong sabihin, sabihin niya. Malalaman naman ng tao ‘yan, e. Patunayan niya. But come home, come home. Ba’t ka nagtatago sa malayo? Ako, hindi ako nagtatago, e. Kung mayroon kang akusasyon sa’kin, nandito ako,” the President added.

In his most recent video, Co alleged that Marcos and his cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, received a total of ₱56 billion through him from 2022 to 2025, aside from the kickbacks Marcos received from the ₱100 billion 2025 budget insertion.