Businessman in Duterte ‘oligarch’ list says he has ‘nothing to hide’

MANILA – A businessman tagged by President Rodrigo Duterte as an “oligarch” said Tuesday he welcomed a government inspection of his mining operation, saying he had “nothing to hide.”

SR Metals Inc.’s Eric Gutierrez said he “exercised integrity and followed the law at every turn as I built my businesses from the ground up.”

“They will see that everything is above board and that I have nothing to hide,” he said in a statement.

Duterte had vowed to “destroy oligarchs” whom he accused of making money at the expense of the poor. He had also singled out tycoon Roberto Ongpin, who later resigned as chairman of online gaming operator PhilWeb Corp.

Gutierrez is a known ally of Duterte's closest rival in the May elections, former interior secretary and administration standard-bearer Mar Roxas