Bong Go Acquitted By DND For Allegedly Meddling In P15.7-B Warship Program
Malacañang and Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go has been acquitted by the DND of meddling in warship deal.
On Wednesday (January 17, 2018), the Department of National Defense (DND) has acquitted Bong Go of interfering in selecting weapons system supplier for the P15.7 billion warship program of the Philippine navy.
DND released a statement saying that the national defense secretary confirmed that no intervention happened during the warship deal.
“There was neither hint nor guidance from the Palace or from Secretary Bong Go to influence the implementation of the project,” DND said quoted by Inquirer.
DND also clarified that Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana mistakenly assumed that the document favoring South Korean weapons system supplier had come from Go.
The national defense department also noted that PMS was also tasked with routing and endorsing the document to respective government agencies for appropriate action.
Lorenzana sent the documents to Navy chief, Vice Adm. Ronaldo Joseph Mercado who later gave it to Commodore Robert Empedrad, the chairperson of the Frigate Project Management Team during that time.
Go also denied of seeing the document or even giving it to Lorenzana and said that he will resign if the accusations against him were proven true.
The frigate project has been done in 2016 during the term of former President Benigno Aquino III, according to Go.
On Tuesday (January 16, 2018), President Rodrigo Duterte also defended his top aide and said that he does not believe that Go intervened the warship deal. Mr. Duterte also said that would ask Bong Go to resign if the allegation were proven.
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