Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on July 5 filed plunder and graft charges against former President Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go in the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Trillanes cited in his complaint a 2018 investigative report published by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), which showed how construction firms owned by the father and sibling of Senator Go cornered a number of projects in Davao region for at least a decade.
Respondent Duterte and Respondent Go awarded and/or caused the award of billions upon billions of public works contracts to sole proprietorships which were obviously owned and managed by the Father and Brother of Respondent Go.
complaint filed by former senator antonio trillanes iv
Go denied the allegations. “I have yet to see the verified complaint. But, since this is essentially the same accusation they hurled against me before, I categorically deny the allegations against me and Duterte,” he said in a statement.
PCIJ’s 2018 investigation showed that companies CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders & Supply are owned by Go’s father Desiderio Go and sibling Alfredo Go, respectively. Trillanes noted in his complaint that CLTG is similar to the senator’s initials.
PCIJ’s investigation showed that CLTG Builders was awarded P4.6 billion worth of projects, all from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), during the time. It won P1.85 billion worth of infrastructure projects in Davao region and an additional P2.7 billion worth of projects through joint ventures with at least four contractors, including Alfrego Builders, according to the investigation.
After the PCIJ report was published in 2018, Trillanes, then a senator, filed a resolution calling for investigation into the contracts.
Trillanes said he continued to investigate and gathered documents to confirm PCIJ’s investigation.
He said he also acquired additional documents, which showed that CLTG and Alfrego Builders actually won more than P6.6 billion worth of projects until 2018.
In 2021, Trillanes posted a video in his social media account to give an update on the documents he received.
Trillanes said he filed his complaint in the DOJ, not the Office of the Ombudsman, because the department can better validate the documents he received from the DPWH, Department of Trade and Industry, and the Commission on Audit.
“Respondent Duterte and Respondent Go awarded and/or caused the award of billions upon billions of public works contracts to sole proprietorships which were obviously owned and managed by the Father and Brother of Respondent Go… despite the fact that the said sole proprietorships are clearly not qualified to bid for and be awarded the subject public works contracts in gross derogation and violation of existing laws,” he said in his complaint.
It is the second criminal suit filed against Duterte since he stepped down from Malacañang in June 2022. — PCIJ.org