Shots fired! Dick: Advice to ignore COA, snub Senate probes ‘inciting to sedition’

The advice for government agencies to ignore the Commission on Audit (COA) and for high ranking government officials to snub Senate investigations is “inciting to sedition,” Senator Dick Gordon said Friday (Sept. 3).

At the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 3rd General Membership Meeting, Gordon said the challenge to institutions like COA “violates the balance of power in our country.”

“COA is supposed to… watch, mabantayan nila kung ano ang nangyayari e, aatakihin pa,” he said.

“’Do not listen to COA. Do not listen to the Senate. Do not go there. Nobody should go to the Senate investigations. The military, do not go there.’ That is practically sedition, inciting to sedition, my friends,” Gordon added.

While the senator did not name any politiko in his statement, President Rodrigo Duterte earlier advised government agencies to ignore COA’s audit findings. He also advised Cabinet officials to skip attending Senate investigations.

On Thursday (Sept. 2), Duterte slammed Gordon for allegedly making the Philippine Red Cross his “milking cow.” The senator has been the chairman of the non-profit organization since 2004.

Gordon is leading the Senate investigation into the Department of Health’s transfer of P42 billion to the Department of Budget and Management Procurement Service for the purchase of COVID-19 supplies, which some senators claimed to be overpriced.

The senator said statements attacking institutions such as COA “sends a very bad signal” about the Philippines.

“How can we now go back to our initiatives in getting investments to our country if the rule of law is palaging nababali, is always compromised,” he said.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)