Bong Go denies corruption claims, sees connection to clamor for Senate bid

Special Assistant to the President Christopher "Bong" Go insisted he has never been involved in government corruption, saying an investigative report linking his family to multi-billion-peso public works contracts awarded to firms owned by his father Deciderio and half-brother Alfredo could be connected to the supposed "clamor" for a senatorial bid.

Claiming he has once again become a victim of fake news and biased reporting, Go called pieces by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism as "false news guised as investigative reports," which he said seemed to be politically motivated because the reports "suspiciously surfaced around the same time when some groups had clamored for my senate bid."

In one of its reports, the PCIJ said construction firms belonging to his relatives—CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders and Supply—got multi-million-peso deals in the government's infrastructure program while partnering with bigger companies.

"I have never been involved in corruption in the government. I have protected my name over the years. If anyone can prove that I spoke with [Department of Public Works and Highways] or any other agency involved in the funding of these projects, I will resign immediately," he said in a statement.

Go said his father and brother were just exercising their rights when they participated in the bidding of the projects with the DPWH.

"Being related to me does not disqualify them to bid. These projects are publicly bidded anyway. I never intervened nor influenced the DPWH on how they bid or award these projects. My office does not control DPWH to begin with," he said.

Go noted how the PCIJ had already admitted his non-involvement in the businesses mentioned in the reports. Go said in all the 15 years when President Rodrigo Duterte was still Davao City mayor, he [Go] never allowed his father to bid in the city's projects out of delicadeza.

In a follow-up report by the PCIJ, Go said he would resign immediately if there would be any information showing that he used his position to favor his kin’s businesses.

“Ni hindi nga ako nakikiusap sa mga engineer, ‘Ito pondohan mo’ (I don’t even talk to engineers and say, ‘Fund this’),” the secretary said. “Si DBM (Department of Budget and Management), ni minsan hindi ko sinabihan na lagyan mo ang Davao City para makapabor doon sa (Not once have I told DBM to allot money for Davao City to favor)....” He left the sentence hanging and instead said, “Once you are able to prove that I spoke with anyone — secretary, regional directors, DBM — everyone who is connected in your research, if I ever did, I will resign. I will resign immediately.”

CLTG Builders stood out in PCIJ’s research because all of its joint-venture projects with big contractors in 2017 failed to complete projects by the original deadline. With just a B license, the firm could not have implemented the big-ticket projects it won in 2017 without having a partner.

The company that bears the initials of the presidential aide appears in Davao City’s 10 biggest contractors year on year from 2010 to 2017, according to DPWH data.

CLTG won a total of PhP1.85 billion worth of infrastructure projects for Davao Region from 2007 to 2017. This has yet to include the PhP2.7 billion worth of contracts won by CLTG through joint ventures with four other contractors, including Alfrego Builders, a firm owned by Bong Go’s half-brother Alfredo Go.

In sum, CLTG has been awarded PhP4.6 billion worth of projects, all from the DPWH, in the past decade. It won more than half of that total only last year, however. None of these projects has been awarded by the local government of Davao City. — MDM/NB, GMA News