President Duterte ordered members of the Executive department to ignore Senator Gordon’s summons.
On Thursday, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered members of the Executive department to ignore Senator Richard Gordon’s summons at the Senate probe into government contracts for allegedly overpriced pandemic supplies.
In his “Talk to the People” briefing aired Thursday night, the President reacted to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chairman’s statement that they would continue the investigation “until kingdom come,” describing the words as “undemocratic”.
President Duterte said that he will no longer allow Cabinet members and other witnesses from the Executive department to appear in the Senate probe.
“Well, I’m telling you now, I have ordered Secretary Medialdea to prepare the — Executive Secretary — I will issue a memorandum na lahat ng nasa Executive department will no longer obey your summons kasi kingdom come ka.” President Duterte said.
President Duterte made the statement as the Senate continued to investigate the alleged anomalous transactions of the government when it bought pandemic supplies from Pharmally.
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At one point, the President said that Senator Gordon was “overstepping” his jurisdiction and that the senator committed an “abuse of discretion”.
President Duterte also said that Senator Gordon was “playing God” for authorizing his Cabinet members to attend the investigation while there’s a pandemic, adding that the senator’s remarks have no place in a democratic country like the Philippines.
“Ngayon, kailan ito matapos? Till kingdom come? Who are you to say that? Sabi ko that is a very undemocratic statement and you want Filipino nation pati kami dito sa Executive department, damayan mo?” President Duterte said.
President Duterte said that people leading the government’s pandemic response like Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr. and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III were wasting their time in the Senate probe. The President then told them to just ignore Senator Gordon.
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