Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 7) — Senator Antonio Trillanes is filing plunder charges against Senator Richard Gordon on Wednesday at the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly diverting public funds to humanitarian organization Philippine Red Cross (PRC).
Trillanes said Gordon used PRC, of which he is the chairman of the Board of Governors, for his personal interest.
“Nung senador siya, first term niya nag-allocate siya ng pondo sa Red Cross na habang chairman siya bawal yun. Parang Napoles scam yun,” Trillanes said.
[Translation: During his first term in the Senate, he allocated funds to the Red Cross while he is the chairman, which is prohibited. It’s like the Napoles scam.]
Trillanes said he will request the Commission on Audit to conduct a special audit on the PRC funds. He will also write the International Federation of the Red Cross to look into the matter.
The senator earlier warned of exposing anomalies in the PRC.
Speaking to CNN Philippines, Gordon slammed Trillanes’ remarks, calling his accusations mere “lies” and a “figment of his imagination.”
“I will never think of using funds of the Red Cross for personal use. I’ve been a volunteer there for 50 years, and I have been doing nothing but improving the life of our people…This is another case of fake news against the reality of humanitarian work,” Gordon said.
In September, Trillanes filed an ethics complaint against Gordon over alleged unparliamentary acts, language, and conduct during the Senate hearing on the smuggling of P6.4 billion shabu into the country.
Gordon was the first to file an ethics complaint against Trillanes.
CNN Philippines’ Senior Correspondent Cecille Lardizabal contributed to this report.
