Trillanes to seek ouster of Koko if Gordon remains blue ribbon chair

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday said that he will work hard for the replacement of Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III if Senator Richard Gordon stays on as chair of the powerful blue ribbon committee.

“I will put the responsibility kay Senator Koko Pimentel kapag hindi nila tinanggal si Senator Gordon… Kumbaga I am working very hard para mapalitan si Senator Pimentel not because of Senator Pimentel per se but because of Senator Gordon,” Trillanes said.

At the Kapihan sa Senado on Thursday, Trillanes slammed Pimentel for his “passive leadership” by allowing Gordon to protect President Rodrigo Duterte and his family in the Senate investigations concerning the extrajudicial killings in the country, the smuggling and corruption issues at the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

Trillanes said Gordon, as chair of the committee that holds public officials accountable for wrongdoings in the government, should have the “mindset of an investigator and not of a defense lawyer.”

Trillanes said he had taken up with Pimentel his concern on how Gordon was handling the hearings but it was not acted upon.

Asked if Pimentel was tolerating Gordon, he said: “Hindi lang tolerating but he actually believes that Gordon is doing a good job defending Duterte and his family.”

(Not only is tolerating, but he [Pimentel] actually believes that Gordon is doing a good job defending Duterte and his family.) /jpv