Ex-Navy chief denies Trillanes accusations over warship deal

Then Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / JOAN BONDOC

MANILA, Philippines — Former Philippine Navy chief Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad on Thursday belied the accusations of former Senator Antonio Trillanes over alleged anomalies about the frigate acquisition project during the administration of former President Duterte.

Trillanes charged Duterte, Senator Bong Go who was his then close aide, along with Empedrad and other government officials and officers of a South Korean shipbuilder with violating the plunder law, or Republic Act No. 7080, graft and corruption, culpable violation of the Constitution, and betrayal of public trust before the Department of Justice.

“To say that the frigate is an anomalous project is a blatant lie,” Empredad told reporters in a phone interview. “My conscience is clear before God.”

Trillanes, who was a former Navy officer, alleged that the P16-billion purchase of two frigates from a South Korean shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries, is anomalous.

Trillanes said “the aggregate amount or total value of the ill-gotten wealth amassed, accumulated, or acquired” allegedly by Duterte, Go and the others from the contract between the government and HHI for the frigate acquisition program “is at least P50,000,000.00.”

Empedrad stressed that lawmakers conducted an inquiry on the project during the confirmation of his rank following his appointment as Navy chief in 2017.

“Dumaan na yan sa [butas ng] karayom … wala naman silang nakita,” Empredad said of the congressional inquiry about the matter. (It went through the eye of the needle, and they did not see anything.)

He also noted that the Department of National Defense and the Navy accepted the delivery of the frigates because they were satisfied with its specifications.

“That occurred two years after I retired,” he said of the acceptance of two frigates. “I was already out [of the service] when they were accepted. And the Navy is very satisfied.”

The frigates, now BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Antonio Luna, were already delivered in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

These flagship warships are now at the forefront of the country’s fight in the West Philippine Sea.

Before the arrival of Rizal and Luna, the Navy’s most advanced warships were hand-me-downs from the country’s allies.

“It’s a fairy tale project of the Philippine Navy,” he said.