Sinabi ni Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chief Senator Richard Gordon nitong Miyerkules, Peb. 2, na sa pagbaba ni Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa Palasyo, maaari itong makasuhan ng inciting to sedition at posibleng maging grave coercion para sa kanyang papel sa kuwestiyonableng P8-billion COVID-19 pandemic supply contract na pinasok ng gobyerno sa Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation noong 2020.
Gayunman, sinabi ni Gordon na naniniwala siyang walang oras para sa anumang kasong administratibo o kriminal na isasampa laban sa Pangulo para umusad dahil papasok na ang buong bansa sa campaign period para sa May 2022 national elections.
Ngunit sa sandaling bumaba siya sa pagiging presidente at naging “ordinaryong mamamayan,” maaaring simulan ng Office of the Ombudsman, ibang mga departamento o sinumang pribadong mamamayan ang paghahain ng mga legal na paglilitis laban kay Duterte.
“There is no blanket rule that he cannot be charged; he can be charged by the Ombudsman but there is no more time. Inabot na tayo ng ganito,” ani Gordon sa isang press conference.
“So pagtapos nitong (18th) Congress, he would be an ordinary citizen, and to the other people who have committed crimes in this country, the long arm of the law will eventually catch up with whomever is guilty,” dagdag ng senador.
Nitong Martes, Pebrero 1, naglabas na sa wakas si Gordon ng partial committee report ng Senate blue ribbon panel sa mga marathon hearing nito sa kontrobersyal na pagbili ng gobyerno ng overpriced at substandard na mga suplay ng COVID-19 mula sa Pharmally Corp. isang kumpanya na mayroon lamang binabayarang kapital na P625,000.
Inirekomenda ng panel ang pagsasampa ng mga kasong graft and corruption at iba pang pananagutan laban kay Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, dating Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Undersecretary Christopher Lloyd Lao, ilang matataas na executive ng Pharmally, gayundin ang ilang kilalang negosyanteng Chinese.
Kasama sa ulat ang pagrekomenda ng deportation kay Michael Yang, ang dating economic adviser ni Duterte, at na paulit-ulit na ipinagtanggol ng pangulo sa panahon ng pagsisiyasat ng Senado.
Sa 113-pahinang ulat, sinabi ni Gordon na si Duterte ay gumawa ng “betrayal of public trust” nang italaga niya si Yang, isang mainland Chinese national na matagal na niyang kaibigan at tumustos sa Pharmally.
“It is difficult to believe that President Duterte was oblivious to what transpired. The financier of Pharmally is his longtime friend, Michael Yang, a Mainland Chinese national who held an appointment as a presidential economic adviser,” sabi ni Gordon.
“All of the government officials who approved the transactions are or were presidential appointees, many of whom had long- standing relationships with the President whether as an election-supporter, fraternity brother, or consultant in his previously held offices,” dagdag niya.
Nang tanungin kung anong mga partikular na kaso ang maaaring isampa laban kay Duterte kapag bumaba ito sa kanyang puwesto, sinabi ni Gordon na maaaring managot ang Pangulo sa mga ground na inciting to sedition at grave coercion.
“Di ba? huwag kayong pumunta diyan (sa Senado), huwag kayo maniwala diyan… That is inciting to sedition,” pagpupunto ni Gordon.
“Inexcusable negligence of duty. Bakit mo nilagay si Michael Yang alam mong Chinese citizen yan, ilalagay mo sa corridor of power?…Pinapasok mo yung ahas sa poultry, yan ang nangyari dyan eh,” dagdag ng senador.
Sinabi rin ni Gordon na dapat managot si Duterte sa paglabag sa opisyal na tungkulin at grave coercion dahil sa hindi paggalang sa mga constitutional body lalo na nang hindi niya igalang ang Senado at ang mandato nito bilang co-equal na sangay, dahil sa pananakot sa Commission on Audit (COA) na nalaman ang tungkol sa ang maanomalyang pagbili, para sa pagbabawal sa mga opisyal ng Gabinete na dumalo sa imbestigasyon ng panel ng Senado.
“Tinatakot niya yung COA…Tinatakot niya yung mga senador, yung panglalait… sedition yun eh…preventing a lawfully government constituted body from defending their lawful duty,” pagpupunto ni Gordon.
“The President as Chief Executive should have known what was going on under his nose. If he did not, he surely became aware of it when the investigation was underway. But when the anomalies were brought to light in the Senate, the President, instead of getting to the bottom of the situation and punishing those responsible, unleashed fury at and threatened the Senate and the senators, erected obstacles in the course of the investigation, and committed grave abuse of power by preventing the appearance and cooperation of officials from the executive department,” giit ni Gordon.
“Worse, he repeatedly and publicly defended and protected those closest to him who had been found to have dipped their fingers into the coffers of the nation at a time when our people were suffering and still are,” dagdag niya.
“Unfortunately, the President’s own behavior leaves us to conclude nothing less than that he was aware of, allowed, and condoned the misdeeds of his closest associates and appointees. For this, he must be held accountable,” pagbibigay-diin ng mambabatas.
Hannah Torregoza
