Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Tuesday dismissed the plunder and graft charges filed against him and former president Rodrigo Duterte by former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, saying the complaint was merely meant to distract the public from the real culprits behind the alleged flood control irregularities.
Trillanes accused Duterte and Go of allegedly funneling ₱7 billion worth of infrastructure projects to companies owned by the senator’s family members. Go, however, said Trillanes was “barking at the wrong tree.”
“Kung seryoso ka talaga, bakit di mo kasuhan yung mga totoong mga corrupt talaga? Bakit di mo kasuhan yung mga financiers mo, yung mga contractor,” Go said, adding that the move was part of a smear campaign. “Ang layunin niya ay proteksyunan lang po ang kanyang mga financier at mga nasa likod ng black propaganda na ito… Isa po itong diversionary tactic para ilihis ang atensyon ng taong bayan sa tunay na mga issue.”
The senator firmly denied any wrongdoing. “Hindi po ako magnanakaw. Hindi po ako kontraktor,” he said. “Senador po ako na nagseserbisyo lang po sa ating mga kababayan Pilipino. May delikadesa po ako… Pangalan ko po at hinding-hindi ko sasayangin yan.”
Go also said the allegations were recycled issues. “September of 2018, bago yung halalan, bago pa ako nag-file, unang tumakbo bilang senador, nag-ingay na siya noon. Siniraan na niya ako… Last year nung ako po ay tatakbo muli for re-election July 6 of 2024, same issue,” he recalled.
Despite the accusations, Go said he would cooperate with the Ombudsman’s probe. “I have been expecting this complaint and now we are in the proper forum to prove the baselessness of his allegations. I now have the opportunity to answer him point by point before the Ombudsman and not on media anymore,” he said, adding that he trusts the process to be fair.
Trillanes earlier said his complaint was supported by documents from the Department of Public Works and Highways covering contracts from 2007 to 2018. He noted that he initially filed a similar complaint with the Department of Justice but waited to bring it to the Ombudsman until after the tenure of former Ombudsman Samuel Martires, a Duterte appointee.
The case references findings from a 2018 Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism report showing that CLTG Builders, owned by Go’s father, was among Davao City’s top government contractors from 2010 to 2017, receiving billions in projects and entering joint ventures with firms owned by Go’s half-brother and other builders.
Go urged investigators to focus on facts, not narratives. “Tumbukin nyo lang po ang katotohanan. Maniwala kayo o sa hindi… Magagalit ang Pilipino pag niloloko nyo ang ating mga kababayan sa katotohanan,” he said. “Ikulong ang mga kurakot at mga magnanakaw. Kilala nyo naman yung mga buwaya. Napapangalanan na eh.”
