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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Sonny Trillanes files updated graft, plunder charges vs ex-Pres Duterte, Sen Bong Go, 2 businessmen

Sonny Trillanes files updated graft, plunder charges vs ex-Pres Duterte, Sen Bong Go, 2 businessmen

Published Oct 21, 2025 02:33 pm
Former senator Antonio "Sonny" F. Trillanes IV filed an updated complaint for graft and plunder against former president Rodrigo R. Duterte, Sen. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, and two businessmen on the alleged irregular award of P6.95 billion infrastructure projects from 2007 to 2018.
Aside from Duterte and Senator Go, also named in the complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) were businessmen Deciderio Lim Go and Alfred Armero Go, owners of CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders & Supply.
Trillanes said the four respondents should be held liable for plunder under Republic Act No. 7080 and graft under RA 3019.
On July 5, 2024, Trillanes filed the graft and plunder complaint against the same respondents and asked the National Prosecution Service of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to conduct the necessary investigation against them.
However, on July 10, 2024, then Prosecutor General Benedicto A. Malcontento endorsed the complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman.
Acting on the endorsement, then Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires issued a Notice on June 2, 2025 dismissing the complaint without prejudice to its refiling "should additional documents be gathered to support the allegations or circumstances arise that would warrant the conduct of further investigation by the Office."
Martires’ action prompted Trillanes to revise and update his complaint before the OMB.
In his updated complaint, Trillanes told the OMB that Deciderio and Alfred are the father and half-brother of Senator Go.
He also said that the name of the company, CLTG, even carries the initials of Bong Go's real name.
Thus, Trillanes said he found it "interesting" that both companies were awarded "an overwhelming number of substantial and sizable projects worth billions of pesos" when Go was appointed to a Cabinet post by Duterte.
He doubted that the companies would have been awarded those projects had it not been for the influence of Go and Duterte, who he considers as the "main plunderers" in this case.
Trillanes said that CLTG has been awarded P4.6 billion worth of projects by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the past decade, while Alfrego won P88 million worth of projects from 2005 to early 2016.
In 2016, Trillanes said that CLTG bagged 12 government projects worth P352,856,053.38.
But when Duterte became president in 2017, Trillanes said the firm was able to secure five contracts worth P816,981,062.81 when it entered into a partnership with St. Gerrard Construction, which is owned by Sarah and Curlee Discaya.
The Discayas are now the subject of investigation after their companies were found to have done several substandard and ghost flood-control projects in the country.
"This is clearly a tell-tale sign that the construction firms with which they partnered with were merely included in the bid documents to window dress the two sole proprietorships' records, and to allow them to secure contracts for projects for which they otherwise would not be qualified to bid for," Trillanes said.
Trillanes added that "CLTG Builders, an undercapitalized sole proprietorship, was able to secure 27 projects worth a mind-boggling P3.2 billion" in 2017 alone. Alfrego Builders & Supply, on the other hand, won 23 projects in 2018 alone worth almost P1.3 billion, he also said.
Recently, the former senator said that Alfrego Builders was able to secure five flood-control infrastructure projects in Davao del Sur worth P327.2 million, which have reportedly been completed within just a little over one year.
All in all, Trillanes said that the two companies received P6.95 billion for several flood-control projects from 2007 to 2018.
"Obviously, allowing CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders & Supply to take on substantial bigger projects beyond their operational capability by allowing them to enter into feigned and bogus joint ventures with bigger firms, without examining the authenticity of the arrangements, violated the letter and spirit of the law," he also said in his complaint.
"It bears stressing that all of the government projects on record awarded to both CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders & Supply were implemented and/or are being implemented within Region XI (Davao Region) only, where respondent Bong Bo, close kin of the owners thereof, and respondent Duterte, the boss and principal patron of respondent Go, undoubtedly possesses and exercised authority, connection, and/or influence," he added.
The respondents in Trillanes’ complaint could not be contacted for comment as of posting time.
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