Gordon turns the tables on Duterte, calls him a ‘cheap politician’
MANILA, Philippines — After being at the receiving end of President Rodrigo Duterte’s tirades from President Rodrigo Duterte, an emotional Senator Richard Gordon on Friday hit back at the Chief Executive, calling him a “cheap politician” for supposedly protecting those linked to the alleged overpriced procurement for COVID-19 supplies by the government.
Gordon, who chairs the Senate blue ribbon committee handling the investigation on the government’s pandemic purchases in 2020, questioned why Duterte was protecting former Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service (DBM-PS) head Christopher Lao and former economic adviser Michael Yang.
The senator even called Duterte a “cheap politician.”
“Pero kayo, Mr. President I am really sorry for you. Ang pinagtatanggol niyo si Lao? May utang na loob kayo dahil sa eleksyon? You are a cheap politician, Mr. President. Cheap politician. As cheap as they come, I’m sorry,” Gordon said.
“Ang pinagtatanggol n’yo si Yang? Kailangan n’yong ipagtanggol e bilyonaryo yan. Mr. President?” he added.
Gordon also said he will pray for forgiveness for Duterte.
“I stand on my record and I will pray for you and our country and the poor of this country, as I do everyday… I pray for you believe it or not, because you need prayers,” Gordon said.
“Galing kayong Catholic school pero mukhang wala kayong natutunan,” he added.
‘Courageous’
After Gordon’s remarks, senators from the minority bloc — Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon as well as Senators Francis Pangilinan and Risa Hontiveros — voiced out their support towards Gordon for his “courage” amid the Senate blue ribbon committee’s investigation.
A teary-eyed Gordon thanked his colleagues in the Senate, saying all those who spoke out in the investigation are all “courageous.”
“Whether you accept it or not, these are times when courage must come out with what is happening. It is so difficult to live during these times,” Gordon said.
“I hope that our countrymen will find it in their heart to see the truth. I’m not saying that we are right all the time. Panindigan natin ang ating pagsisilbi sa bayan at pagmamahal sa bayan,” he added.
Gordon has been at the end of Duterte’s tirades over the investigation on the government purchases amid the pandemic.
In his speech aired Tuesday, Duterte said he will campaign against Gordon in the 2022 national elections. Prior to this, Duterte also lambasted the senator’s lengthy interpellations and mocked him over his weight.
