Advising the public to ignore the Commission on Audit, and for Cabinet members and military officials to shun Senate investigations are “practically inciting to sedition,” Senator Richard Gordon said Friday.
Gordon made the statement during the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 3rd General Membership Meeting.
“As we see also today, our institutions are being challenged like COA. Yan, violates the balance of power in our country. COA is supposed to… watch, mabantayan nila kung ano ang nangyayari e, aatakihin pa (oversee where the public funds went, yet it is subject to attacks),” Gordon, the event’s guest speaker, said.
“‘Do not listen to COA. Do not listen to the Senate. Do not go there. Nobody should go to the Senate investigations. The military, do not go there.’ That is practically sedition, inciting to sedition, my friends,” he added.
The lawmaker said these statements will not be beneficial to the Philippines, particularly in attracting investors as he said that the rule of law in the country is being “compromised.”
“That sends a very bad signal to our country. How can we now go back to our initiatives in getting investments to our country if the rule of law is palaging nababali, is always compromised,” he underscored.
Gordon was apparently referring to President Rodrigo Duterte, who has recently slammed COA and the senators over the issue of mismanagement of funds in the Department of Health.
In one of his recent public address, Duterte threatened not to allow Cabinet members to attend congressional probes because of alleged disrespectful treatment from senators.
Gordon is leading the Senate inquiry into the alleged deficiencies in the DOH’s use of COVID-19 funds.
The investigation is now focused on Department of Health’s transfer of P42 billion funds to the Procurement Service-Department of Budget (PS-DBM) and Mangement for the purchase of face masks and face shields at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
The PS-DBM and its former chief, resigned Budget Undersecretary Christopher Lloyd Lao, are currently in hot water due to purchase of PPEs that was also flagged by state auditors.
The lawmakers gave special attention to the transactions entered into by the PS-DBM with Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a small firm that only had a paid-up capital of around P625,000 but secured over P8 billion worth of government contracts for the procurement of PPEs.
Senators were also seeking information on the possible links of Chinese businessman Michael Yang, Duterte’s former economic adviser, to Pharmally.—LDF, GMA News
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