MANILA — Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. on Thursday dismissed corruption allegations made by former congressman Zaldy Co, calling them a “fabricated lie” designed to distract from Co’s legal troubles over a controversial flood-control project.

In a statement, Laurel said Co’s accusations contradicted the directives he received from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who formally appointed him Agriculture Secretary in September 2023 and instructed him to “clean it up” and investigate corruption in the department.

“That was the directive: clean up the Department of Agriculture. So I immediately began researching and investigating all these allegations of corruption and illicit practices,” Laurel said, adding that the department’s intensified reforms likely antagonized individuals who previously had influence over import allocations.

Laurel cited specific encounters with Co regarding major agricultural commodities. In sugar, Co allegedly requested a 200,000 MT import allocation for a major importer in March 2024, which Laurel rejected after consulting Sugar Regulatory Administration head Pablo Azcona. The DA later issued Sugar Order No. 2, a revamped allocation system aimed at eliminating favoritism.

On onions, Laurel traced the 2023 price surge to supply issues dating back to October 2022, noting that urgent import recommendations were ignored. “If large-scale smuggling happened then, prices would not have shot up like that. And no sensible businessman would hoard onions at the peak of a price spike,” he said. Laurel also dismissed rumors linking presidential brother-in-law Martin Araneta to onion imports.

Regarding rice, Laurel called Co’s claim that he recommended importing 13 million MT in 2024 “absurd,” noting that such a volume would have exceeded national production and harmed farmers. He said Co instead pushed for a zero-percent tariff on rice imports, which was rejected. Laurel also denied allegations that he disrupted a Quinta Committeehearing by producing a report implicating First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos in rice importation.

On fish imports, Laurel said Co personally requested allocations covering 3,000 containers for his companies, which he denied under the DA’s new transparent system.

Laurel criticized Co’s allegations as part of “the newest episode in the former congressman’s self-made Netflix series,” accusing him of misleading the public. “He pretends to care for farmers and consumers, but his greed is clear. Zaldy Co, come home and face your cases. That is what the Filipino people demand,” Laurel said.