Senator Richard Gordon, chair of the blue ribbon committee that looks into cases of corruption in government, said his panel cannot kick off a probe into Senator Manny Pacquiao’s corruption allegations against the Duterte government without at least getting the”specific facts” of his claims.
In a statement on Wednesday, July 7, Gordon said that while the blue ribbon committee can conduct investigations motu proprio, it cannot rely on newspaper accounts of Pacquiao’s allegations of corruption in several departments under President Rodrigo Duterte’s government.
Gordon said Pacquiao, who is in Los Angeles to train for his fight against boxer Errol Spence, has yet to file any resolution in relation to his claims and has not shared any relevant documents to his committee.
“While the committee may call for a hearing motu proprio, I need to see the specific facts surrounding the alleged offenses committed. In legal parlance, I need a bill of particulars to be fair to all concerned,” Gordon said.
“The tremendous powers of the blue ribbon committee cannot be exercised in a cavalier fashion that could only lead to abuse. We are not in the business of chasing ghosts. We are in the business of doing what is right,” he added.
Still, Gordon said he asked his staff to reach out to the authorities to determine “whether there is ‘smoke and fire’ that is right behind” Pacquiao’s claims.
“If there is basis, I will not hesitate to act and do what is right,” said Gordon.
On Saturday, July 3, Pacquiao bared alleged multibillion-peso corruption under the administration of his former ally Duterte, including the supposed missing P10.4 billion in pandemic aid.
Pacquiao alleged that the Department of Social Welfare and Development entered into an agreement with e-wallet app Starpay to disburse pandemic subsidy funds, but some 1.3 million beneficiaries were unable to get the financial assistance. Starpay had already denied the accusations.
Pacquiao also accused the Department of Energy of corruption for entering into an alleged questionable agreement with the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines. The DOE is headed by senator’s PPD-Laban party mate Secretary Alfonso Cusi, who has been at odds with Pacquiao over party matters.
The senator, however, refused to divulge additional information on his claims and said he would soon file a resolution to formally ask the Senate blue ribbon committee to conduct a probe.
After his press conference, Pacquiao then left the Philippines to prepare for his boxing match in the United States.
Gordon earlier said he found it “strange, if not irregular” for a senator who has accused the government of corruption to not be present in the investigation he wants to be conducted.
But Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Pacquiao can attend the blue ribbon committee hearings via teleconferencing app Zoom if he wished.
Pacquiao and Duterte, former staunch allies, are now embroiled in an apparent conflict months before the 2022 elections, where Pacquiao and presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte are rumored to be gunning for the presidency.
Pacquiao drew Duterte’s ire when the senator lamented corruption in government. The President then challenged Pacquiao to name these officials or else he would campaign against the apparent presidential hopeful in 2022.
Pacquiao’s rift with Duterte comes in the middle of infighting in the ruling PDP-Laban, where the senator is acting president. Cusi is reportedly out to unseat Pacquiao as PDP-Laban president. – Rappler.com
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