I am not afraid, Gordon says of demolition job vs him

Senator Richard J. Gordon today remained unperturbed by the demolition job against him to distract the Senate blue ribbon committee's probe on the P728-million fertilizer fund scam, allegedly engineered by former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante.

Gordon, chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee, said he will not be cowed by the demolition job against him into letting the perpetrators in the fertilizer fund mess, scot-free.

"Hindi ako natatakot sa ginagawa ngayon na paninira sa akin. There had been two recent attempts in that regard. I was not afraid to face up to past presidents. Sa lahat ng mga pangulo tayo ay nanindigan. Hindi nyo ako matatakot dito," he said.

"I am not a stranger to oppression, as I have experienced various kinds, including the assassination of my father (the late Olongapo City Mayor James Gordon). And I will never stop fighting oppression because what is happening in the country is very vile," he added.

Gordon was referring to attempts to bring long-dismissed cases against him back into the glare of public eye, such as the call by the Crusade for a Better Philippines Movement chaired by Michael Say to make public cases against him that were dismissed since 2004.

He also took issue at the resurrection of an old move by former Rep. Dante Liban to oust him as chairman and chief executive officer of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC).

In 2006, Liban had been expelled as chairman of PNRC-Quezon City Chapter in a unanimous vote upheld by the Court of Appeals. He has been reportedly charged for robbery and estafa for failing to account for P10 million of Red Cross funds.

Despite the smear campaigns against him, Gordon said the blue ribbon panel will never give up on upholding the rule of law.

"If others have a weak resolve, I am telling everyone that we have a very strong resolve. The case we filed against Bolante with the DOJ (Department of Justice) was just for starters," he said.

"We will disprove those who would try to obstruct justice. We assure the Filipino people that we will do everything to prove that crime does not, and will never, pay," he added.