Gordon asserts he is an ‘independent’ senator

Senator Richard Gordon INQUIRER/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Sen. Richard Gordon on Tuesday scoffed at being tagged as an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte, saying he was not a member of the President’s party and that he has even criticized him. 

Gordon said this to reporters in apparent reference to an Inquirer report where he was described as “a known Duterte ally.” 

Gordon is a member of the Senate majority. 

The Inquirer report dealt with his declaration on Monday that “nothing was proven” against the President in allegations that the spate of drug-related killings under the administration’s anti-drug campaign was state-sponsored. 

Gordon is chair of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, taking on the committee after the President’s staunch critic, Sen. Leila de Lima, was ousted on Sept. 19 by a majority of Senators for her alleged bias in the investigation. 

“Why do you keep saying I’m an ally of Duterte? Am I PDP-Laban (Partido Demokratiko Pilipino- Lakas ng Bayan)? Am I? Am I?,” said Gordon, who ran as an independent in the last elections. PDP-Laban is the President’s party.

“Who’s the first one to attack Duterte? Me!,” he said, in apparent reference to his recent pronouncements that Mr. Duterte has been “noisy.” 

Asked if he was denying that he was the President’s ally, Gordon said: “I’m a senator. I’m an independent.”/rga