MANILA – Senators Richard Gordon and Vicente “Tito” Sotto III claimed there is no sufficient evidence proving the involvement of President Rodrigo Duterte’s son Paolo in the smuggling of P6.4-billion worth of shabu from China.

Photos showing the younger Duterte together with Kenneth Dong—the alleged middleman of the smuggled shipment—were presented during the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee inquiry on Tuesday, August 15.

Gordon, however, described the photos as mere “hearsay.”

“I have not found any evidence to believe that,” Gordon, who chairs the committee, told reporters after the hearing.

He went on to say, “Hearsay eh. Pinalinaw ko yun tanong, alam mo ba yan o sabi-sabi daw? Eh sabi-sabi, papaano naman yun? That’s unfair (It’s hearsay. I clarified the question, do you know it or it’s hearsay? It’s just gossip. That’s unfair).”

Sharing the same sentiment with Gordon, Senate Majority leader Sotto said there’s no enough basis for the committee to summon the president’s son, who is also the current Davao City vice mayor, in the next the hearing.

“No basis at all. The chairman himself knows it’s purely hearsay,” Sotto said.

He further pointed out, “What if somebody comes here and says that [former President Benigno Aquino III] is involved in the delivery of whatever, patatawag mo kagad si Noynoy? Hindi pwede yun. Lalo na hindi sya yung direct, may nagsabi lang daw (Will you summon him? No, especially if it’s based on a hearsay).”

Customs broker Mark Taguba previously mentioned Paolo Duterte being “name-dropped” by individuals behind the so-called Davao Group allegedly involved in illegal transactions with the Bureau of Customs in the city.

Taguba also clarified that he has no personal knowledge of the vice mayor’s supposed involvement.

Dong, for his part, denied that he is close to the young Duterte, saying they were only “acquaintances.”

“Nagkakilala kami (We met) way back in 2008 because I expanded my first branch of weighing scale in Davao. Acquaintance lang kasi hindi naman kami ganoon ka-close (Just an acquaintance because we’re not that close),” Dong explained during the hearing.

President Duterte repeatedly vowed that he’ll resign from his post if anyone could prove that any of his children were involved in corruption or any illegal practices.

Malacañang on Monday, August 14 challenged critics — who are spreading the pictures online suggesting Paolo’s involvement in smuggling — to formally file charges against the vice mayor.

“If they really have a case regarding that matter… I mean, what does a picture prove?” Duterte’s spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a media conference. “It’s different in court and [if] there’s documentary evidence. What’s important is actual documentary evidence and not just hearsay.”