Duterte defends Bong Go over reports of his intervention in PH Navy project

Backing his special assistant Christopher “Bong” Go, President Rodrigo Duterte lambasted the media for reporting that the former has intervened in a multi-billion peso project to acquire two new warships for the Philippine Navy.

Go’s alleged intervention in a P15.5-billion project to obtain two frigates for the Philippines was reported by news organizations Rappler and Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The president’s assistant denied the allegations. His boss, Duterte, stood by his statement, and said that if reports would be proven true, he would order Go’s resignation immediately.

“Find a way to prove that we intervened. I’ll give it to you. And if you can find, I will ask Bong to resign tomorrow. Work on it tonight. Let me know tomorrow and I will fire him if he did intervene, even for one word,” Duterte said Tuesday night.

The president added that Go has no reason to meddle with the project for the sake of acquiring money because he is a billionaire.

“Who gave you idea he can intervene? Where is his signature?… You know, I am not bragging. But this man is a billionaire, just so you know… He seems to appear intervening because about money? The things that you are telling never happened,” he added.

Duterte also slammed Rappler for producing “fake” articles.

“For your information, you can your suspicious mind from roaming somewhere else. But since you are a fake news outlet then I am not surprised that your articles are also fake,” he said.

(DAILY NEWS ROUND UP FOR 01/ 17 / 18)