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Lorenzana: Bong Go did not intervene in Navy frigate acquisition
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday said Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go did not intervene in the P15.7-billion frigate acquisition project (FAP) of the Philippine Navy.
“The Secretary of National Defense is confirming that no intervention or interference by Sec. Bong Go happened,” the Department of National Defense (DND) said in a statement.
“There was neither hint nor guidance from the Palace or from Sec. Bong Go to influence the implementation of the project. There is a contract for the FAP which was crafted mainly by the Philippine Navy and it will be implemented strictly to the letter,” it added.
The statement said Lorenzana only “assumed” that the white paper "endorsing" a South Korean supplier for the warships' Combat Management System (CMS) came from Go because it was “handed to him at the Palace.”
Go is also the head of the Presidential Management Staff, which is tasked to route and endorse documents to the concerned government agencies, the statement said.
Go was dragged into the issue when reports, citing documents, said that he had "intervened" in the selection of the CMS supplier for two Navy warships.
The Palace official has denied even seeing the white paper he was accused of sending.
The DND statement said the document in question came from Hanhwa, a CMS proponent that “post-qualified” for the project.
It said that Lorenzana the same to ex-Navy Flag-Officer-In-Command Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado “for appropriate action.”
The document then changed hands between Mercado and then-Frigate Project Management Team chair Commodore Robert Empedrad, now Navy chief.
“Adm. Empedrad wrote a reply to the document stating the preferred CMS of the Philippine Navy, subject to the terms and conditions of the contract,” the statement said.
In December, Mercado was relieved from his post over alleged insubordination in relation to the same project. He said in a phone interview with reporters on Wednesday that he was still a “full-blooded Navy officer” as he prepares for a possible investigation on the issue.
Mercado also denied hearing anything about the frigate from Go.
“...On my side as the FOIC, when I was FOIC, he [Go] never once, with so many times we were together in many foreign Navy ships, and there was never an instance, not once that he even asked me about the frigate, never,” he said.
“Kaya when I’m hearing the news na, well, on my side only...he never intervened much more talk to me about these things, not once, that I’m very, very sure. He’s very kind to me whenever we see each other, but again for the frigate he never mentioned anything about it,” he added.
Mercado said he “never received any letter addressed to me on that note,” referring to the white paper.
“Sec. Bong Go never directly mentioned to me anything about the frigate or indirectly from another person, I never heard any other person mention the name of Sec. Bong Go in relation to the frigates, walang ganun…” he said.
