Gordon faces plunder raps over Red Cross funds

MANILA, Philippines — Following their word war, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV yesterday filed a criminal complaint against his colleague Sen. Richard Gordon in connection with the latter’s alleged misuse of P200 million worth of funds of the Philippine Red Cross.

In his 23-page complaint-affidavit filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, Trillanes, assisted by his lawyer Rey Robles, said Gordon as well as former Red Cross secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang must be investigated for plunder, graft, malversation of public funds, violations of Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, RA 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act and Article VI Section 14 of the 1987 Constitution.

Trillanes said the ombudsman must also investigate Gordon for the administrative offenses of grave misconduct and culpable violation of the Constitution and, if proven guilty, must recommend to the Senate to order Gordon’s dismissal from his post and his perpetual disqualification from public office.

In his complaint, Trillanes alleged that P200 million worth of Red Cross funds were misused since Gordon assumed chairmanship of the organization in 2004. 

Trillanes said of this amount, P193 million came from Gordon’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel, which he allocated to the Red Cross from 2004 to 2011 during his term as senator.

Trillanes said Gordon’s PDAF allocations were coursed through the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The DSWD and Gordon’s office then entered into a memorandum of agreement with Red Cross.

“Ordinarily, there would have been nothing objectionable or anomalous about a legislator allocating his PDAF funds for the Red Cross, considering (its stature as a premier humanitarian organization in the country),” Trillanes’ complaint said.

“However, there is a very clear anomaly and/or conflict of interest in the case of Sen. Gordon making the allocation of the said funds because he has been governor and has been chairman and chief executive officer of the Red Cross since 2004 up to the present,” it added.

Trillanes said Gordon’s act was in violation of Article VI Section 14 of the Constitution, which prohibits members of the Senate and the House of Representatives from having any financial or pecuniary interest in any contracts that the government enters into.

Furthermore, Trillanes alleged that the P200-million Red Cross fund, which included the PDAF allocations of Gordon, was disbursed by Pang “to fund anomalous projects without the requisite approval of the (Red Cross) Board of Governors and without the requisite public bidding.”

Trillanes said most of these “anomalous projects” were undertaken by the Red Cross to boost the candidacy of Gordon for the presidential and senatorial elections in 2010 and 2013, respectively.

Trillanes said among the anomalous purchases using Red Cross funds were 500,000 pieces of plastic whistles amounting to P12 million, a karaoke machine and baller IDs bearing the name of Gordon, ad placements amounting to P29 million, upgrade of the Red Cross website amounting to P5 million and “Wow” tarpaulins from 2007 to 2009 “in order to boost Sen. Gordon’s candidacy as president in 2010.”