Duterte's special aide
Malacanang on Sunday said Special Assistant to the President Christopher "Bong" Go will tell the truth on Monday's Senate hearing on Philippine Navy's multi-billion frigate project.
"Expect Secretary Go to tell all, and as instructed by the President, he would likely demand for an open and transparent Senate inquiry to show that he ? and the Administration ? has nothing to hide as he would squarely answer questions, in full view of the public," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
He reiterated allegations against Go are "untrue and unfounded".
"It was the Aquino administration which chose Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) as supplier of the two frigates, including the supply of the boat, the navigation, the communications, and the combat management systems (CMS). It was also during the previous administration that Hyundai was declared the responsive bidder and awarded the two frigates, including the CMS," he explained.
In a radio interview, Roque said no one from the administration is involved in this issue after Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said Go is exempted in the controversy because he only followed orders from higher officials.
"Bong Go not having responsibility (on the issue) doesn't mean the one who ordered him should be held responsible. But Bong Go or anyone in this administration has no participation in changing the project that is already awarded to the bidder during the previous administration," he said.
Roque said the whole truth will be known and it will be revealed that the involvement of Go on the issue is only fake news being related to the Duterte administration.
Trillanes, in a radio interview, said the root of the controversy of the frigate deal is the combat management system.
"This controls the different weapons system of the frigate," said Trillanes, a former navy officer.
A newspaper reported that in a span of two weeks in January 2017, Malacanang, the Department of National Defense, and the Navy discussed the issue hounding the combat management system of the Navy’s frigate program.
It said there was a letter to Duterte from the Navy explaining why it preferred Tacticos CMS of Thales Nederlands, Inc. over Hanwha Thales (HTC) for the CMS of the frigates.
Lorenzana, putting a marginal note on the letter that it was given to him by Go, then asked former Navy flag-officer-in-command Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado to go over it and prepare a report or rebuttal to be submitted to Duterte.
But Lorenzana and Mercado denied the supposed letter and cleared Go of intervening in the project.
On Jan. 15, Go said: "I have not intervened in the procurement of DND (Department of National Defense) of its computer system for its ships. I have not participated nor intervened, directly or indirectly, in the transactions of DND. "Further, I even have no information nor knowledge of the said transaction," he added. Ella Dionisio/DMS
