(UPDATE 3 – 5:46 p.m.) MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV warned Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III that he would be forced to find a way to unseat him from the Senate presidency if he would not replace Sen. Richard Gordon as chairman of the Upper Chamber’s Blue Ribbon Committee.
“For as long as Senator Gordon andyadyaan sa [is there at the] Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, I will put the blame and responsibility kay [on] Senator Koko Pimentel,” Trillanes told reporters on Thursday. Sept. 28.
“So pag talagang hindi nila tinanggal ‘yan, talagang I will work hard para matanggal din si Senator Koko Pimentel para matanggal din si Senator Gordon,” he added.
[So if they won’t remove him, I will really work hard to oust Koko Pimentel from his post so that Senator Gordon would be ousted, too.]
According to Trillanes, Gordon is unfit to handle the responsibilities of the chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee that investigates corrupt activities in the government.
The senator claimed that instead of being fair and objective, it appeared that Gordon was “lawyering” on issues being linked to President Rodrigo Duterte through his “reward-winning performance.”
“Wala na bang mas magaling d’yan? Wala na bang mas maayos d’yan [Is there no other person smarter than him? Is there no other person better than him?],” said Trillanes, referring to Gordon.
“Blue Ribbon Committee, kailangan nito talagang objective s’ya, talagang wala s’yang kinatatakutan. Kailangan…imbestigador ‘yong mindset n’ya, hindi defense lawyer,” he said.
[The chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee must really be objective and does not fear anybody. He should have the mindset of an investigator, he should not be a defense lawyer.]
Trillanes added that he was preparing plunder and ethics complaints that he would file against Gordon.
‘Koko is doing a good job’
Gordon told media on Thursday that he was prepared to answer the allegations that would be hurled against him by Trillanes. He also defended Pimentel from Trillanes’ threat.
“Let him do his worst. I’m ready to answer everything. Koko is doing a good job. Koko is trying to be fair to everybody,” he said.
“Kung totoo ‘yan, dapat wala nang siga ang minority. Pero pinagbibigyan ang minority [If it’s true, then then there should be no tough guy in the minority. But the minority is being accommodated]. What is he taking about? He even has the Civil Service Commission,” added Gordon, referring to Trillanes’ chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Civil Service.
Meanwhile, Pimentel issued a brief reaction to Trillanes’s threat: “He can go ahead with his plans. This is a free country.”
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