Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 4) — Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman Richard Gordon once again slammed President Rodrigo Duterte, this time blaming him for the “delay” in their probe into the government’s COVID-19 pandemic procurement deals.
“Kung may delay, ang may kasalanan po ay ang Pangulo ng Pilipinas, hindi po tayo,” Gordon said during his committee’s 14th hearing into the issue on Thursday.
[Translation: If there’s a delay, it’s the President’s fault, not ours.]
Duterte earlier issued an order barring Cabinet officials from attending the Senate inquiry on allegedly anomalous contracts for the purchase of pandemic response supplies – including “overpriced” face masks and face shields.
“Kung walang haharap dito sa mga opisyales ng ehekutibo, eh mahihirapan kaming makalakap ng tamang datos…Kung walang kooperasyon ang mga kinauukulan ay talagang talo ang tao,” Gordon said.
[Translation: It would be hard for us to get data if no official from the executive would face us…If there’s no cooperation from authorities, it’s the people who lose.]
Gordon — along with Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon — had earned the ire of Duterte, who said he would not have been elected if he was corrupt like the veteran senators.
However, Gordon pointed out that it was Duterte himself who admitted he was corrupt, citing a quote from the President back in June 2017.
The Blue Ribbon Committee is eyeing charges against Chinese businessman and former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang, former head of the Procurement Service of the Budget department (PS-DBM) Lloyd Christopher Lao, former PS-DBM director and now Overall Deputy Ombudsman Warren Liong, and Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. officials over the pandemic response fund controversy.
Sen. Gordon hits back at President Duterte's allegation that he and Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon are corrupt: Mr. President, kayo po ang umamin na kayo po ay nagnakaw sa gobyerno @cnnphilippines pic.twitter.com/MRddjTSn1o
— Eimor Santos (@eimorpsantos) November 4, 2021
