Plunder raps filed vs ex-President Duterte, senator over infra contracts

FORMER SENATOR Antonio F. Trillanes IV on Tuesday filed a plunder complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against former President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" T. Go over nearly P7 billion worth of public works contracts in the Davao Region, allegedly benefiting construction firms owned by the senator's family.

- By Erika Mae P. Sinaking

In the complaint, Mr. Trillanes said the projects were awarded to CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders, which are owned by Mr. Go's father and brother, respectively.

He flagged an alleged P816-million joint venture between CLTG Builders and Discaya-owned St. Gerrard Construction, which is among the 15 contractors that cornered P100 billion out of the P545 billion worth of public works rolled out since 2022.

"The evidence here consists of the contracts themselves, which came directly from the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways)," he told reporters after filing the case.

According to him, CLTG and Alfrego Builders cornered approximately P6.95 billion in government infrastructure projects from 2016 up to the present.

When asked why Mr. Duterte was included among the respondents, the former lawmaker said, "It was Duterte who signed and approved [the contracts]."