‘’We're not presidential appointees.’’
Thus stated Senator Sherwin Gatchalian Monday, September 6, to the call of pro-administration lawyer Larry Gadon for the removal of three senators at the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).
Gatchalian, a PRC board member, said that they were duly elected board of governors by the members of Philippine Red Cross (PRC).
He said they can only be removed for the following reasons: End of term, not participating in the elections, or for cause.
Gadon had also called for the removal of Senator Richard J. Gordon, CEO and chairman of the PRC, to give way for an election of a new chairman. He also called for the removal of several others, including Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel ‘’Migz’’ Zubiri as PRC board member.
The PRC is a non-government humanitarian organization. The Republic Act No 1072 or the Philippine Red Cross Act of 2009 recognized that the organization is autonomous and independent from the government.
Gadon earlier claimed that Gordon, Zubiri, and Gatchalian are among Duterte's appointees in the PRC Board of Governors. The lawyer is known for propagating false information and hurling insults against critics of the Duterte administration.
Amid a feud with senators over the alleged overpriced purchase of COVID 19-related health supplies by the Procurement Service, Department of Budget and Management (DBM-PS), President Duterte called for the audit of the PRC by the Commission on Audit (COA).
The COA said it has no jurisdiction over the PRC.
Allegations of conflict of interest has been thrown at Gordon because he also chairs the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, which is probing alleged favoritism by Malacanang in the DBM-PS purchases using the P42 billion COVID-19 response funds of the Department of Health (DOH).
Senator Christopher ‘’Bong’’ Go had strongly denied links to resigned PS-DBM chief Lloyd Christopher Lao.