MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has instructed the Office of the Solicitor General to prompt the Commission on Audit (COA) to act on a notice of disallowance it sent to Senator Richard Gordon over funds allegedly misused when he was still chair of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
In a taped speech aired Monday, Duterte reiterated that years had passed since the COA had disallowed some P140 million supposedly spent by the SBMA when Gordon was its chair, including P86 million that the senator spent.
But up to now, he said Gordon had not returned the money.
“I am now asking the solicitor general to formally ask COA to act on the disallowance and remind them of the constitutional act duty to collect the P140 million as stated in the demand letter of SBMA chairperson and administrator [Wilma] Eisma dated August this year, which was sent via registered mail. This has been fully sustained by the Supreme Court as final and executory,” Duterte said.
In a previous briefing, he threatened to file a malversation complaint against Gordon to recover the P86 million.
READ: Duterte threatens raps vs Gordon
In his recent public addresses, Duterte has been attacking Gordon, who chairs the Senate blue ribbon committee investigating the alleged anomalies in supply contracts of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. with the government.
READ: Duterte threatens to find ‘what’s wrong’ with senators, starting with Gordon
The president alsoc accused Gordon of misusing funds of the Philippine Red Cross, which the senator likewise chairs.
Calling Duterte a “bully,” Gordon challenged the president to do his “worst,” saying that he was not afraid of the chief executive.
READ: Gordon dares ‘bully’ Duterte: Do your worst, I’m not scared
The senator also called Duterte a “cheap politician” who did “act like a president.”
READ: Gordon retaliates, calls Duterte ‘cheap politician’