Gordon strikes back.
A week ago, Senator Antonio Trillanes III called for the
change of leadership of the powerful Blue Ribbon Committee, which is now
chaired by Senator Richard Gordon. Trillanes accuses Gordon of being unfit to the post because of his loyalty and lawyering
for President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
“His loyalty to Duterte has affected his objectivity as he
sometimes appears to be lawyering for/defending him,” said Trillanes, this was
in connection to the Senate hearing regarding the P6.4 billion worth of shabu
shipment from China that got inside the Philippine Territory and was eventually
found inside a warehouse in Valenzuela City. *
 |
| Senators trillanes and Gordon at each others neck during the Senate Blue Ribbon Hearing today re the P6.4-billion shabu shipment smuggled into the country |
Today, in continuation of the P6.4-billion shapu shipment
smuggled into the country.
And both senators are in full show of their dislike with
each other, which led Senator Gordon to the thought of filing an ethics
complaint against Senator Trillanes following a heated exchange.
"I will file personally an ethics complaint against the
gentleman from Bicol," Gordon said, referring to Trillanes.
The heated exchange began when Trillanes questioned why
presidential son Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and presidential son-in-law Mans
Carpio had not been summoned to the Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing, when
there was supposedly "enough information" based on Customs fixer Mark
Taguba's remarks to do so.
Michael Taguba had linked two members of President Rodrigo
Duterte’s family to the so-called “Davao Group”which are the alleged power
players in the Bureau of Customs in terms of releasing of shipments.
During the hearing, Gordon asked Taguba to reveal details of
the supposed January 16, 2017 meeting in Davao City. Taguba said he brought
with him P5 million in a blue Lacoste bag. Upon arriving in Davao City, Taguba
said he met with another contact identified only as "Jack," the
alleged "handler" of the Vice Mayor.
When pressed for details of where the meeting took place,
Taguba said he could not recall, prompting Gordon to warn him not to lie. *
Trillanes
then said the witness was being badgered. This caught the ire of Gordon, who
said Trillanes was accusing him or Senator Vicente Sotto of mocking the
witness.
"Are
you accusing the chair or Senator Sotto of badgering the witnesses?" Gordon
said.
"You're
so fond of making general statements. If you want to make general statements
you better prove it," said Gordon.
"This
is the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines. This is not a cockpit of
chismis (gossip)," he added.
An irate
Gordon declared Trillanes "out of order," banged his gavel, and
temporarily suspended the session.
Senator Gordon
also took offense after Trillanes said the committee is becoming a
"committee de absuwelto," or a body absolving the accused of
wrongdoing.
"I will
move for your contempt then," Gordon said.
Trillanes
clarified he mentioned "committee de absuwelto" while the session was
suspended, but Gordon said it was still heard by the public as the hearing was
also televised.
He told
Sotto as Majority Floor Leader that he is filing a complaint against Trillanes
before the ethics committee.
"The
chairman would like to tell the gentleman from Bicol to behave himself,"
Gordon said. Trillanes tried to answer but Gordon would not let him. *
Trillanes
said Gordon was being "irrational" as the Blue Ribbon committee chairman.
"The
Chair has already ruled, you are not recognized," Gordon maintained,
turning off Trillanes' microphone at one point.
"I will
not answer you. You are out of order," banging his gavel again.
Sotto moved
to suspend the session for a few minutes as he tried to calm the lawmakers
down.
Trillanes
left the session hall but returned when the session resumed.
Reports from
cnnphilippines.com
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