Gordon undaunted by Duterte ultimatum on PH Red Cross audit
Senator Richard Gordon refuses to be affected by President Duterte's tirades against him and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) even as the latter already threatened to cut off the government's ties with the humanitarian organization.
In an interview over radio DWIZ Saturday, September 11, Gordon, who concurrently chairs the PRC, explained why he doesn't want to entertain Duterte's railings about their organization.
"Sinasabi ititigil, eh nasa sa inyo po 'yan, Mr. President. Hindi naman namin hiningi 'yan eh (He says he wants to dissociate from us, well, it's up to you, Mr. President. We did not ask for it, anyway). Kung gusto niyo malugi ang Red Cross (If you want the Red Cross to go bankrupt), that is up to you," he told Duterte.
"Ayokong sagutin yan dahil ang issue naandito, alam ko naman dinidistract niyo lang 'yong issue. Ginagawa niyo nang lahat ang batikos sa amin para ma-distract kami, para sasagot kami sa inyo (I didn't want to respond to that because I know you are only distracting people from the real issue. You have let out all the criticisms against us because you want to distract us, so we will just focus on answering on claims)," Gordon said.
He, however, lamented that the PRC was being dragged by Duterte just because he is leading the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's inquiry on his administration's purchases of pandemic-related medical supplies.
He maintained that it was the government that approached the PRC for assistance in responding to the pandemic.
"Hindi naman po tama na isasama niyo pa ang Red Cross. Hindi naman po ako ang Red Cross, isa lang ako. Mr President. I am just a mere volunteer, wala akong sweldo diyan (It's not for you to drag the Red Cross in the issues. I am not the Red Cross, Mr. President. I am just a mere volunteer, I do not get paid for it)," said the senator.
"Huwag niyo na kaming siraan. Magalit po kayo sa akin, sige po, kaya ko naman po, eh (Do not defame our organization. You can get mad at me, go ahead, since I can handle it)," he added.
Gordon also warned Duterte against "self-destruction" should he push through with such "distracting methodology".
"Because lahat may katapusan. Kaya dapat ho, isipin na rin ninyo na 'yong mga dapat sabihan...'yong mga tao niyo na kung nagkamali sila, gawin niyo. At kung kayo nagkamali, sabi niyo nga magreresign kayo (Because everything has an end. That's why I think you should consider telling your people to rectify their mistakes. And if proven that you were also wrong, well, you said you would resign)," he advised, recalling the President's saying that he will resign of there is proof of corruption in the government's use of COVID-19 funds.
"'Pag putik ang binabato, pagkatapos ng putik, matutuyo rin y'an eh, pipitikin mo lang 'yong putik mawawala yan. Kaya Mr. President, magpakatotoo po tayong lahat dito (You can throw mud at me, but I can just dust it off when it dries. So Mr. President, let's just get real here)," Gordon said.
In his taped address aired Saturday, Duterte has threatened to "totally dissociate" from the PRC if Gordon fails to submit the organization to an audit.
Duterte also vowed to dig up "personal dirt" on the senator.
The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has been investigating supposed anomalies in the Department of Health's (DOH) handling of COVID-19 funds, including the award of over P8 billion worth of contracts to a newly-registered foreign firm for the purchase of PPEs and test kits, despite its supposed lack of financial capacity.
During Friday's hearing, senators learned that the foreign firm was financed by Duterte's former adviser, Michael Yang.