De Lima: ‘Favor’ given to Uy constitutes prima-facie case for anti-graft probe

President Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Leila de Lima. (File photo from Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Senator Leila de Lima on Tuesday said the supposed “favor” given by President Rodrigo Duterte to the businessman associated with the third telecommunications company (telco) constitutes a “prima-facie case for investigation under the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act.”

In a statement, the opposition senator said, “there is no doubt that the Davao-based businessman is always favored by Duterte.” 

“This in itself should already constitute a prima-facie case for investigation under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act,” she added.

De lima was referring to the third telco in the country Mislatel Consortium, composed of Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corp. and state-run China Telecom.

READ: Duterte pal is 3rd telco player

De Lima said Uy was closely associated with the President as a major campaign donor, while the Chief Executive “already assured as early as months before the bidding that he favors a Chinese firm to become the third telco player.”

READ: Who is Dennis Uy?

“Did it just so happen that a Davao-based businessman and Duterte campaign donor suddenly just got so lucky with government largesse under Duterte’s administration? Of course not,” the detained lawmaker said.

“We were not born yesterday. In fact, we have coined a word for it. Every time a politico-businessman partnership like this is cooked up, we call it a ‘lutong macao’. How appropriate that China is now in the cooking mix for good,” she added. /jpv

READ: Dennis Uy-China Telecom venture confirmed as third telco