Trillanes Files Plunder, Graft Charges Against Duterte and Bong Go Over Alleged Billion-Peso Contracts

Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV filed plunder and graft charges against former President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte and Senator Christopher “Bong” Go before the Office of the Ombudsman on Tuesday.

According to Trillanes, Senator Go’s father, who owns CLTG Builders, and his brother, who owns Alfrego Builders, allegedly obtained billions of pesos worth of government contracts during the Duterte administration.

Trillanes claimed that CLTG Builders entered into a joint venture with St. Gerrard Construction, owned by the Discaya family, to secure ₱816 million worth of contracts.

He added that CLTG and Alfrego Builders allegedly received a combined total of around ₱6.95 billion in government projects from 2016 up to the present.

“The main plunderer here is Bong Go because he is the central figure connecting his father and brother, and his relationship with Duterte enabled this,” Trillanes asserted.

The cases filed include violations of the Plunder Law, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and the Code of Conduct for Public Officials.

“This began when Duterte was still mayor and continued into his presidency. We all know how close Bong Go and Duterte are, so he cannot deny being part of this,” Trillanes further explained.

Senator Go, meanwhile, dismissed Trillanes’ complaint as a diversionary tactic.

“This is merely a diversionary tactic meant to distract the public from the real issues,” Go said in a press conference.

He maintained that Trillanes’ accusations were baseless, adding that if the former lawmaker were truly serious about fighting corruption, he should file cases against the real corrupt individuals, contractors, and financiers—those whose funds, possibly coming from “ghost” and substandard flood control projects, might even be used for propaganda.