Gordon rejects Trillanes bid to summon Paolo Duterte, Mans Carpio

Senator Richard Gordon on Thursday rejected the request of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to summon both presidential son and Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, and presidential son-in-law Manases Carpio, to the investigation on the smuggling of shabu.

In an interview with reporters, Gordon said the allegations that Duterte and Carpio are behind the so-called Davao Group are mere “hearsay.” The said group, according to Customs fixer Mark Taguba, are supposedly facilitating the smuggling of contraband goods.

“Sa’kin, hearsay mga narinig ko pero ayoko sabihin na inaayos ko yung ebidensya,” Gordon said.

“I don’t want to be distracted from the drug issue. Once I finish this, we go back to the tara then maybe we can put it there,” he added.

During the blue ribbon hearing, Trillanes requested the committee to invite both Paolo and Carpio to the hearing on the P6.4 billion worth of shabu that slipped past the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in May after their names were mentioned by Taguba.

Responding to Trillanes’ motion, Gordon said: “You may do so.” Gordon, chairman of the panel, however did not formally act on Trillanes’ motion.

During the interview, Gordon said he will only invite Paolo and Carpio if there is direct evidence implicating them.

“The moment he says, ‘ako nakausap ko si Paulo at sinabi ko sa kanya tulungan mo ako’ at sinabi niya ‘tutulunga kita, bibigyan kita ng pera.’ Swak na yun. Ito sinabi lang, mga tao ito ni Paolo, Davao Group yan,” Gordon said.

“Hindi tayo nag-co-convict ng tao without evidence,” he added.

Gordon said his committee will come out with a preliminary report on the shabu shipment probe by Monday, September 4.

The blue ribbon panel will conduct its next hearing on September 25; this time, on the list of BOC officials allegedly receiving “tara” or bribes as disclosed by Senator Panfilo Lacson. —NB/KVD, GMA News