MANILA, Philippines — Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon pushed back on Tuesday, October 6, against allegations of conflict of interest raised by Vice President Sara Duterte, asserting that his previous work as a local government consultant in Davao City does not affect his current role as a House impeachment trial prosecutor.
Duterte had earlier pointed out during a news conference that the lawmaker once worked under the Davao City government during her tenure as mayor.
Confirming the engagement, Ridon explained that he served strictly as a policy consultant focused on poverty alleviation after being reached out to by her administration, emphasizing that he was never a personal adviser to Duterte.
”I previously provided policy consultancy services to the City Government of Davao on poverty alleviation. I did not seek out the engagement; I was approached by one of then-Mayor Sara Duterte’s advisers to provide those services,” he said.
”I was never a personal adviser to then-Mayor Sara Duterte. The engagement had nothing to do with the matters now before the Senate impeachment court,” the lawyer-legislator stated.
Ridon further noted that the engagement ended over six years ago without any audit disallowances from regulators.
”We performed the work required under the engagement and submitted the corresponding reports to the city government. The consultancy was never subject to any audit disallowance, more than six years after the engagement concluded. So what exactly is the supposed conflict of interest?” Ridon asked.
Dismissing the claims as a distraction, Ridon emphasized that his current duties as a prosecutor in the Senate impeachment trial center on presenting evidence regarding the Vice President’s alleged unexplained wealth, which is detailed under Article II of the four articles of impeachment.
”My responsibility today is different and clear: as a prosecutor, I will present the evidence before the Senate impeachment court. The court will determine the merits of the allegations,” he said.
”The prosecution will not be distracted from the continuing presentation of evidence under unexplained wealth,” he added.