Gordon to Duterte: How dare you ask for Filipinos' votes again when you failed them?

Senator Richard Gordon on Friday slammed and questioned President Rodrigo Duterte's Eleksyon 2022 senatorial bid as he claimed that the state leader has “failed” the Filipino people.

“How dare you again ask for the vote of the Filipino people when you failed them?” Gordon, chairperson of the Senate blue ribbon committee, said during the continuation of the investigation into the government’s alleged anomalous purchases of COVID-19 supplies.

Gordon cited Duterte’s campaign promises, specifically his “jetski” remark on the issue of the West Philippine Sea as well as his vow to end the drug problem in three to six months.

“Pinangako ninyo ang West Philippine Sea, you did not do it. Ang sabi ninyo pa magkakaroon kayo ng jetski na pupunta kayo do’n,” he said.

(You said you will get a jetski and you will go to the West Philippine Sea.)

“Pinangako ninyo na mauubos ang drugs. Maraming naubos puro pawang mahihirap na walang mahawakan na hanapbuhay, dahil kulang kayo maghanap ng hanapbuhay, humawak sila sa patalim, nagtutulak sila ng shabu. Sila ang pinapatay pero 'yung mga malalaki ay walang nangyayari at sila ay tumatawa all the way to the back. Three to six months ang sabi ninyo matatapos ang droga. Hindi ninyo rin natapos,” the senator recalled.

(You promised to eradicate drugs. Only the poor ones were eradicated. These poor people had no choice but to sell drugs because you failed to give them livelihoods. They were killed while the high-profile pushers were laughing all the way to the back. You promised to end it in three to six months but you were not able to do it.)

In a speech on Thursday, Duterte claimed that he fulfilled most of his promises during his tenure as chief executive.

“My term is nearing its end, I can say with a little bit of pride, halos lahat na pinangako ko, natupad ko (almost all of the things I promised, I was able to fulfill)," Duterte said during the inauguration of 143 Social and Tourism Ports and the Zamboanga City Seaport Development Project.

On November 15, Duterte filed a certificate of candidacy to run for senator.

Gordon, who is currently at odds with the President as he continues to lead the Senate panel in scrutinizing the government’s pandemic purchases, went on and told Duterte: “So do not lecture us na kayo ay mas magaling na tao kaysa sa mga senador (that you are brighter than the people here in the Senate)."

“Ang pinakamaliit na tao [ay mas] magaling sa inyo sa prinsipyo sapagkat tila nakalimutan na ninyo ang prinsipyo na tinuro sa inyo ng iyong mga magulang. Nakakaawa kayo sapagkat talagang pinapakita ninyo na hindi kayo karapat-dapat na maging Pangulo ng Pilipinas,” Gordon said.

(Even the smallest person is greater than you in terms of principle because it seems that you have lost the principles that your parents have taught you. I pity you because you just proved that you are not worthy to be the President of the Philippines.)

Moreover, the legislator slammed Duterte for not ordering the arrest of former Budget undersecretary Christopher Lloyd Lao, who has been skipping the Senate probe on the government purchases of medical supplies.

Lao was the officer-in-charge of the Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service (PS-DBM) when the government entered into the alleged anomalous transactions during the height of the pandemic.

“Ako’y nakakatiyak, ngayon sinabi ko na ito, hanggang sa dulo ng pinakamataas na opisyal ng Pilipinas ay may kinalaman dito, kayo ang nag-appoint kay Lao,” Gordon said.

(I am sure, and now I am declaring this, the top official of the Philippines is involved here because he was the one who appointed Lao.)

“Kailangan ninyong ipaliwanag sa taumbayan, lalo na kung sasabihin ninyo pa tuturuan mo kaming mga senador paano maging senador,” he told Duterte.

(You need to explain that to the public, especially when you are teaching the senators how to be senators.)

Gordon then hit Duterte for launching “ad hominem” remarks against the members of the Senate.

“Namemersonal kayo dahil wala na kayong masabi sapagkat kayo, nag-iimbento na kayo. Kaya kayo nanalo sa presidente kayo ay isang huwad na nagpapanggap na isang bayani at binola ninyo ang tao,” he said.

(You are hitting us at the personal level because you cannot say anything that is substantial. You are just making things up. That's why you won as president because you are a fraud who is pretending to be a hero. You fooled the people.)

“At ngayon ay napapatunayan na kayo, talagang kapatid ng magnanakaw. Sinungaling kayo sapagkat kayo ay nagtatago ng mga nagwawalang hiya sa bayan, na nahihirapan ang mga tao sa ating bansa kaya nakita ninyo, nalustay ang pera,” he added.

(It is now proven that you are a sibling of the robbers. You are a liar because you are protecting those who do not respect the country even if the people are already suffering. You see? The public's money were already wasted.)

Gordon called Duterte as a “sibling” of the Darganis, who are the top officials of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation.

“Napapatunayan natin kaya lumalakas, kasama ninyo, kapatid ninyo itong mga Dargani na nagkaroon ng magagandang kotse, nireregaluhan ng mga kapatid ng mga P25 millon na sasakyan at nakaka-renta ng P2.5 million pesos na Learjet. D’yan n’ya pa pinadaan sa Davao parang sinasabi ninyo dito na kami ay protektado ng Pangulo,” he said.

(That's why they have the guts because you are a sibling of Darganis who could buy luxury cars, gift a P25-million car to his sister, and rent a Learjet. They were about to fly out of the country from Davao. It's like they are saying that they are being protected by the President.)

Pharmally’s president Twinkle Dargani and his brother Mohit Dargani, the firm’s corporate secretary and treasurer, were earlier arrested at the Davao International Airport. They were on board a chartered plane bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“Sagutin ninyo ‘yang sinasabi nating ‘yan dahil ‘di naman kayo haharap dito dahil mabibisto ang inyong mga ngala-ngala pagka kayo ay haharap dito sa Senado,” Gordon added.

(Answer that because you won't face us here. You will be exposed if you face us here in the Senate.)

GMA News Online asked acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles for comment on Gordon's remarks but he has yet to reply, as of posting time.

The Senate panel is conducting its 16th day of investigation into the transfer of P42 billion COVID-19 funds from the Department of Health to the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM).

This includes PS-DBM’s purchase of P8.6 billion worth of face masks, face shields, and PPEs from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation, a firm that only had a P625,000 paid-up capital when it entered transactions with the government.—AOL, GMA News