Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Friday filed a complaint for plunder against former President Rodrigo Duterte, incumbent Senator Christopher “Bong” Go and two other individuals, in connection with alleged anomalous public works projects amounting to some PHP6.6 billion.
In his complaint, the former senator asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to initiate and conduct the appropriate preliminary investigation into the alleged plunder as well as other graft accusations.
Trillianes also named Sen. Go’s father Deciderio Lim and brother Alfredo Armero as respondents in his complaint-affidavit, which stem from alleged violations of the Anti-Plunder Act (R.A. 7080 ) and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (R.A. 3019).
Additionally, he asked the DOJ to charge the four respondents for violations of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officers and Employees (R.A. 6713), culpable violation of the constitution, and violations of other laws as may be warranted by the evidence.
“In sum, Respondent Duterte and Respondent Go, both public officers of the Republic of the Philippines at the time of the commission of the offense, as ‘main plunderers’ in connivance with Respondent Go’s father, Respondent Deciderio Go, and his half-brother, Respondent Alfredo Go, together were able to amass at least PHP6.6 billion pesos worth of contracts with the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) through a series of dubious transactions with unqualified Davao-based construction companies by taking undue advantage of their official positions, authority, relationship, connection or influence to successfully secure billions of pesos worth of contracts or projects which unjustly enriched themselves at the expense, to the damage and prejudice of the Filipino people and the Republic of the Philippines,” Trillanes said in his complaint.
“Clearly enough, there is a concurrence of all the elements of Plunder in this case,” Trillanes added.
The acts and relationships of herein respondents, thus, fall squarely under the above constitutional and statutory proscription against conflict of interest in the public sector, undermining the fundamental, integrity of the government,” he further noted
Trillanes said he was able to gather evidence during the inquiry conducted by the Senate Committee on Civil Service that he chaired when he was still a member of the Senate.
The Senate inquiry, in turn, stemmed from the 2018 Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) reports on the Duterte administration’s infrastructure projects.
Citing the records submitted by the Commission on Audit (COA) to the Senate committee, Trillanes said that it was found that “from the period of 2007 to 2018, at least PHP6.6 billion worth of government contracts were awarded to CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders & Supply, combined.”
Meanwhile, Go sneered at the plunder accusations leveled against him and the former president, calling Trillianes a “lazy attack dog” who is trying to resurrect “recycled and rehashed issues.”
He stressed the accusations raised by the former senator were the same accusations he first made in 2018, and then again in 2021.
Go noted that Trillanes failed to prove his accusations in the past, saying that the complainant is only drumming up political noise ahead of the 2025 midterm elections.
“He (Trillianes) just wants to be the subject of conversation. He wants to paint us black so he will be white. He has been throwing mud for us to appear dirty and he will appear clean,” the incumbent senator said in a mixture of Filipino and English.
Go said he has yet to see the latest complaint “but, since this is essentially the same accusation they hurled against me before, I categorically deny the allegations against me and the former President.”
He also expressed openness to an investigation to determine once and for all if there were indeed irregularities of if transactions disadvantageous to government were made at his behest.
“And, if there is, it is for Commission on Audit to file the necessary charges,” he said.
“For a simple ‘probinsiyano’ like me and former President Duterte, we take care of our name. Our conscience is clear because even from the start until now, we have delicadeza.”
Go maintained that he never influenced any government transaction, contract or bidding.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Trillanes files plunder charges vs Duterte, Go over alleged anomalous infra projects.”