Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 5) — Malacañang on Monday brushed off former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s plunder accusations against President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Bong Go, claiming he has no sufficient evidence to back these up.
“Ang problema kay Senator Trillanes, wala pong ebidensya [The problem with Senator Trillanes is he has no evidence],” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a briefing.
“Binato na niya ‘yan hindi pa senador si Bong Go. Wala naman siyang napatunayan nung siya’y nakaupo pa sa Senado [He made those allegations even before Bong Go became senator. Trillanes wasn’t able to prove anything when he was still in the Senate],” he added.
Citing documents from the Department of Trade and Industry as well as from the Commission on Audit, Trillanes said Go’s father and half-brother — Desiderio Lim and Alfredo Amero Go, who both own construction companies — were awarded government contracts totaling ₱6.6 billion from 2007 to 2018.
Go’s father owns CLTG Builders, while his half-brother owns Alfrego Builders & Supply, Trillanes said. All of the government projects they secured are either located in Davao City where Duterte was former mayor, or in another locality in the Davao region, he added.
“Maliwanag na ginamit ni Bong Go ang kanyang posisyon in connivance with and obvious consent of Duterte as mayor and later on as president para makinabang ang kanyang pamilya [It’s clear Bong Go used his position in connivance with and obvious consent of Duterte as mayor and later on as president for the benefit of his family],” Trillanes said in a YouTube video, noting that Go had been a longtime aide of the President.
Accusing the two officials of plunder, Trillanes vowed to file criminal charges against them once Duterte’s term ends in 2022.
While Roque said the inaction now shows Trillanes doesn’t have enough proof, the former senator explained he’s delaying it until next year, as he’s “sure” the President will take advantage of his position to junk cases against him.
