Drilon nixes Duterte’s claims: I am not corrupt

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Wednesday opposed President Rodrigo Duterte’s graft claims against him, emphasizing that he was never tried by any anti-graft court for corruption in his 32 years of public service.

“I am not corrupt. I take exception to the statement made by the President. Since I joined the public service in 1986, I have faithfully adhered to the highest moral standards,” Drilon said in a statement.

“My record is clear and my conscience is clean. In my 32 years in public service - nine years in the executive and 23 years in the legislative - I have never been tried for corruption in the Ombudsman or Sandiganbayan,” he added.

The opposition lawmaker said he has “strictly conducted” himself within the standards set by the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees and the country’s anti-graft laws.

“I have always endeavored to protect my family name. Aside from the laws that I have authored in my 23 years as senator, all I want to leave as legacy when I retire from politics next year is my good name,” he ended.

Earlier in a pre-recorded address aired Wednesday morning, Duterte slammed Drilon and Senate blue ribbon committee chairman Richard Gordon over the Senate investigation into the government procurement of COVID-19 supplies.

He said he wouldn’t have won the presidency in 2016 if he is corrupt.

“‘Wag po kayo magpadala dyan sa mga intriga na ako raw ay abogado (ng Pharmally). Alam ninyo sa totoo lang, Gordon at Drilon, di ako aabot sa presidency, from my mayorship to the presidency kung corrupt ako kagaya ninyo, kung tumatanggap ako ng mga *****ina, ng mga campaign funds d’yan sa mga tao na alam ninyo na gumagawa ng kalokohan kasama ‘yung mga miyembro ng Congress,” Duterte said.

(Don’t get swayed by their intrigues, accusing me that I am a lawyer for Pharmally. You know, Gordon and Drilon, I won’t win the presidency, from mayorship to the presidency, if I am corrupt like you, if I am receiving campaign funds from people who do irregularities with the members of Congress.)

GMA News Online has also reached out to Gordon for his comment on Duterte’s remark but he has yet to respond as of posting time.

In one of his previous public addresses, Duterte had linked Drilon to convicted businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, the mastermind of the pork barrel scam.

These “malicious attacks” were immediately dismissed by Drilon, saying this was meant to distract the Senate investigation into the alleged anomalous procurement of COVID-19 supplies in 2020.

Duterte has been hitting several senators in his public addresses as the chamber continues to scrutinize the transfer of P42 billion COVID-19 funds from the Department of Health to the Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service (PS-DBM).

The investigation includes PS-DBM’s purchase of P8.6 billion worth of face masks, face shields, and PPEs from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation, a firm that is being linked to Chinese businessman Michael Yang, Duterte's former economic adviser.

The company only had a P625,000 paid-up capital when it entered transactions with the government. — RSJ, GMA News