Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said two construction corporations, owned by the daddy and brother of longtime Duterte aide and now Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go, won greater than 100 government construction contracts value not less than 6.6 billion pesos ($114 million) between 2007 and 2018 within the southern city of Davao, when Duterte was mayor. Neither company had the resources or manpower to undertake large-scale infrastructure construction, in response to Trillanes.
Duterte and Go didn’t immediately comment on the matter, but have previously denied any wrongdoing while in office.
Trillanes accused Duterte, Go and relatives who owned each corporations of plunder. Under Philippine law, the crime of plunder is committed when a government official acquires illicitly acquired wealth of fifty million pesos ($862,000) or more in government funds through corrupt activities at the side of family or associates. It is punishable by life imprisonment. The government can even seize illicitly acquired wealth or properties upon conviction.
Go, “in cahoots with Mr. Duterte, used his position, authority and influence to hijack billions of dollars in government projects for his father and brother, thereby unjustly enriching himself and his immediate family members,” Trillanes said. “Now is the perfect time to hold them accountable.” He added, without elaborating, that the previous president will face more lawsuits in the long run.
Government prosecutors will conduct their very own investigation before deciding whether to charge Duterte and the opposite defendants, a process that might take months or years.
Duterte, 79, served as long-time mayor and vice mayor of Davao before taking office in 2016, promising to quickly rid his Southeast Asian country of corruption and illegal drugs — something he famously failed to attain.
Duterte, a former government prosecutor and legislator, launched a police-led crackdown on illegal drugs while serving as mayor and vice mayor for his daughter, Sara Duterte, in Davao City and later as president. Those campaigns killed greater than 6,000 suspects, mostly minors. The campaign was unprecedented in its scale and lethality in recent Philippine history and sparked alarm around the globe.
Duterte and senior police officials have denied authorizing extrajudicial killings throughout the campaign, but he has openly threatened drug traffickers with death and encouraged police to shoot drug suspects who violently resist arrest.
