Gordon on being criticized over shabu probe: ‘Do I owe Duterte anything?’

Senator Richard Gordon on Thursday shrugged off criticisms on how he is handling the blue ribbon committee investigation on the P6.4-billion shabu shipment smuggled from China.

Gordon, chairman of the committee, was lambasted by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV during the sixth hearing of the panel for supposedly turning the blue ribbon into a “committee de abswelto.”

Trillanes would have wanted to Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and lawyer Manases Carpio, President Rodrigo Duterte's son and son-in-law, respectively, after their names were mentioned in the investigation.

In an interview, Gordon said he does not react to criticism “especially if they are unfounded.”

“Bakit, sino ba kinakatigan ko? Bakit, do I owe Duterte anything? Do I owe anybody there anything?” Gordon told reporters.

“Please do not judge. Look at my record, I’ve gone against presidents of the Philippines,” he added.

Gordon refused to summon both Vice Mayor Duterte and Carpio, saying there is not enough evidence to prove their alleged involvement in the so-called Davao Group.

The Davao Group is supposedly facilitating the smuggling of contraband to the country. —KBK, GMA News