MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte denied Thursday Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV’s allegation that he has P2 billion in his bank accounts, saying he is ready to resign if the senator can prove that he has even just a quarter of the amount.
In a video message released last night, Duterte said Trillanes, whom he called “tulisan” (brigand) was just bringing up an old issue that he already answered before he won the presidential race.
“If Trillanes can prove his allegation that I have amassed P2 billion illegally or if that bank account under my name has a total deposit at one time of even just half a billion, I will resign as president immediately,” Duterte said.
“This is actually an old and rehashed issue. I have answered this allegation before I became president. The people have already spoken they have placed me in the office with 16 million votes,” he added.
Duterte tried to turn the tables on Trillanes as he accused him of using his office to ask for retainers, an act that he described has become a “lucrative business” for the senator.
“Sen. Trillanes is on his last term and would have known nothing to lose if he would resign from office which explains his penchant for always daring president to resign,” the president said.
“It is known in the Senate that Trillanes uses his office to ask for retainers and this has become a lucrative business for him,” he added.
Duterte dared Trillanes to go to court and file cases against him. He also advised the senator “to stop opening his mouth when he has nothing to say anyway.”
The president also defended his partner Honeylet Avanceña and his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte from allegations that they have millions in their bank accounts.
Duterte said Avanceña runs a donut business and supplies meat to five malls in Davao City. He added that Sara, a lawyer, receives fees from clients
“(It’s) amusing how Trillanes came up with his accounting. He even included day to day banking transaction of my partner Honeylet. This just shows his ignorance with regard to the revenue and banking business,” the president said.
“He must have also have forgotten that my daughter Sara is a lawyer by profession and that she earns from this and that and she has clients who actually pay for her services and not from illegal retainers which Trillanes is so used to doing,” he added.
Duterte said he is not poor and that his father, a former governor, left him some inheritance.
“Ikaw? Anong naiwan sa iyo? Hangin pati yabang. Tulisan ka sa totoo lang. (What was left to you? Just arrogance. You are a brigand),” he said.
Duterte even mocked Trillanes’ participation in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny.
“May Mutiny mutiny ka pa wala ka naman palang b***g. Taas agad ang kamay pagdating ng pulis. Nakakahiya ka sa totoo lang (You staged a mutiny but you immediately raised your hands when the police came. You are embarrassing),” the president said.
“Ngayon kung ang pamilya mo gutom noon o ngayon huwag mo kami isali. Di kami kasingmalas sa pamilya mo (If your family is hungry, don’t drag us into this issue. We are not unfortunate us your family),” he added.
SOURCE: Philstar
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