Gordon on ethics complaint vs Trillanes: I have support of 14 senators

WORD WAR Senators Richard Gordon and Antonio Trillanes IV are pacified after their verbal exchange by Sen. Vicente Sotto III. —RICHARD A. REYES

At least 14 senators expressed support for Senator Richard Gordon’s ethics complaint to be filed against fellow Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

“I have the support of more than 10, more than 12, more than 14 senators,” Gordon told reporters in an ambush interview.

The blue ribbon committee chairman divulged this after the Senate majority bloc held a caucus on Monday afternoon to discuss priority measures. The meeting lasted for almost 3 hours.

There are a total of 17 senators in the majority bloc.

The complaint against Trillanes for using languages that are “offensive and unparliamentary” was also discussed in the caucus.

Last Thursday, the two senators clashed and traded insults during the investigation on the P6.4 billion “shabu” shipment from China that went past the Bureau of Customs (BOC) last May.

Trillanes moved that the committee summon Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo and his brother-in-law Mans Carpio to explain their alleged involvement in the corrupt and smuggling activities within the agency.

But Gordon and Senate Majority leader Tito Sotto III said Duterte and Carpio’s role in the BOC’s “Davao Group,” which allegedly helped facilitate the drug shipment, should be first established with evidence before inviting them to the hearing.

This made Trillanes tag the committee as “comite de abswelto” and chided Gordon and Sotto for lawyering for the presidential son and son-in-law. He also said Gordon has zero credibility during an ambush interview at the Senate by reporters. JE