Trillanes files plunder, graft charges vs former President Duterte

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 4:19 p.m.) — Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Friday filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) plunder, graft and corruption charges against former President Rodrigo Duterte, Sen. Bong Go and two other individuals related to the senator over infrastructure contracts in Davao City. 

The former senator, a staunch critic of Duterte, said that his office collected evidence indicating that Duterte and Go allegedly facilitated corrupt practices, specifically the continuous awarding of government contracts to infrastructure firms owned by Go’s father and brother, totaling P6.6 billion in contracts from 2007 to 2018.

This is the second criminal charge filed against the former president since his term ended in 2022. The first was filed on Oct. 24, 2023, when Rep. France Castro (ACT-Teachers) filed grave threat charges against Duterte. However, the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the charges saying that the evidence is “insufficient”.

In this case, Duterte and Go were accused of violating Republic Act (RA) No. 7080, or the Anti-Plunder Act; RA No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and RA No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. 

According to Trillanes’ complaint, Duterte and Go are guilty of the crime of plunder as they were public officials and they allegedly used their position to continuously award the construction firms of Go’s father and brother contracts worth billions of pesos. 

The firms owned by Go’s father and brother mentioned in the complaint are CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders & Supply.

“Interestingly, it was during the period when Respondent Bong Go was appointed to a cabinet post by Respondent Duterte that CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders & Supply, were awarded an overwhelming number of substantial and sizeable projects worth billions of pesos,” Trillanes’ complaint read. 

“How CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders & Supply still managed to continuously win billions of pesos worth of government projects in Davao despite their limited contracting capacity and numerous shortcomings, is hardly a conundrum. While CLTG Builders and Alfrego Builders &