(Eagle News) — Two lawmakers on Friday said attempts to implicate Special Assistant to the President Bong Go in the allegedly anomalous P15.7-billion frigate acquisition project were nothing more but part of a “desperate hack job against President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.”
In a statement, Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles said he and his brother Assistant Majority Leader Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles were “convinced” about this, considering that the “issue was raised out of nowhere amid the surge” in the President’s ratings in independent pollsters.
The House finance committee chair was apparently referring to the Fourth Quarter 2017 Social Weather Stations survey that saw the Duterte government netting a record-high satisfaction rating of +70.
“They’ve done everything to malign the Chief Executive but these obviously haven’t worked in their favor. So now they’re targeting his most trusted friend in (Go)..The timing and dubious nature of the accusation would make anyone with a discerning mind suspicious,” Karlo said.
According to Jericho, “the timeline of the (frigate acquisition project) is indisputable.”
“It was initiated by the Aquino administration in June 7, 2013 and was completed through the appointment of the winning bidder on June 9, 2016, a full three weeks before President Duterte took over. Simply put, (Go) was never in a position to intervene during that period even if he wanted to,” he said.
“No (Go) signature, no issue. This looks like a witch hunt just like all the other attempts to discredit our government,” he added.
Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano has accused Go of interfering in the P15.7-billion frigate acquisition project of the Philippine Navy, particularly in the bidding for the Combat Management Systems of the frigates, in favor of a South Korean supplier.
Go has vehemently denied the allegations.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque also said this was not possible, as the bidding and the winning bidder for the project were already chosen during the then-President Benigno Aquino III’s administration.
He said the Duterte administration, through Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, merely gave the notice to award to the winning bidder.
Lorenzana and Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado, who Alejano said was sacked as Navy commander for “jeopardizing” the project, have both denied Go tried to exert any influence in any way.
Despite this, on Friday, opposition senators–Francis Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros, Leila de Lima, Antonio Trillanes IV and Bam Aquino—filed Senate Resolution No. 584 calling for an inquiry into the matter.