FORMER senator Antonio Trillanes IV arrived at the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday to file plunder charges against former president Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Christopher Go.
The charges were in violation of Republic Act 7080, which defines plunder as amassing at least P50 million through a series of criminal acts.
Such theft is a severe crime, disqualifying the perpetrator from holding public office, according to the law.
In an interview earlier on Friday with The Manila Times, Trillanes said the former president and Go, a trusted aide, were linked to P6.6 billion in anomalous projects in Davao from 2007-2019, the period when Duterte served as mayor and later as president of the Philippines.
In a 30-page complaint-affidavit, Trillanes accused Duterte and Go of facilitating the awarding of over 100 substantial infrastructure contracts to companies owned by Go’s father, Deciderio Lim Go, and half-brother, Alfredo Armero Go.
Trillanes described these companies as “mid and bottom-tiered.”
He noted that CLTG Builders, one of the two companies involved, bear initials that correspond to Bong Go’s full name, “Christopher Lawrence Tesoro Go.”
According to Trillanes, the Davao-based CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders & Supply secured lucrative contracts worth billions of pesos from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) despite their limited financial and operational capacity.
He also questioned how these companies managed to obtain these contracts from 2007 to 2018 despite a history of unfinished projects.
The complaint detailed that from 2007 to 2018, CLTG Builders, owned by Deciderio Go, was awarded 125 government contracts worth approximately PHP 4.9 billion.
On the other hand, Alfrego Builders, owned by Alfredo Go, received 59 government projects totaling PHP 1.74 billion.
P6.6B worth of gov’t contract awarded
A certification from the Commission on Audit (COA) revealed that during this period, at least P6.6 billion worth of government contracts were awarded to CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders & Supply combined.
Another certification from the Department of Trade and Industry dated October 8, 2018, confirmed that the construction companies are Davao-based sole proprietorships.
Trillanes disclosed that both companies lacked the required contractor’s license to undertake such large-scale projects, with many contracts exceeding their allowable project cost limits.
At the same time, Trillanes claimed that September 12, 2018, he filed a resolution before the Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization, and Professional Regulation to conduct an inquiry into the matter.
However, the resolution was referred to the Committee on Rules, where no hearing was held, and all documents and records were archived.
This prompted him, despite the lapse of time, to file a formal complaint to request the National Prosecution Service to investigate and determine the liability of the respondents for their alleged violations of existing laws.
“All the elements of plunder are clearly present in this case. Mr. Bong Go, in conspiracy with Mr. Duterte, used his position, authority, and influence to corner billions worth of government projects in favor of his father and brother, thus unduly enriching himself and the members of his immediate family. The evidence presented in the complaint is compelling and warrants a plunder charge,” Trillanes said.
