Trillanes’ ‘drug triad’ accusations vs ‘Pulong’ Duterte draw dissent

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s colleagues in the Senate found his line of questioning of Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte in last Thursday’s probe into Customs irregularities that facilitated the recent smuggling of 16.4 billion worth of “shabu” into the country as a waste of time.

It will be recalled that Trillanes spent part of his time at the hearing to accuse presidential son and Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte of being a member of an international drug triad and allege that proof to his claim is the vice mayor’s dragon tattoo in the back.

“Off tangent from the topic of the investigation. Sayang lang oras (It was a waste of time),” Senate President Aquilino Pimentel said of Trillanes’ allegations.

Trillanes claimed that the presidential son has a “dragon tattoo” bearing “sacred digits” that could confirm his membership in an international drug syndicate. Duterte invoked his right to privacy when Trillanes insisted that he show his tattoo.

Majority Floor Leader Sen. Vicente Sotto III refused to react to Trillanes’ allegation which he described as “unsubstantiated.”

“Maraming ganyan na klaseng balita sa (There are a lot of those sorts of news on the) Internet. You give credence when you react,” he said.

Senator JV Ejercito, on the other hand, poked fun at Trillanes’ claim Thursday in his social media accounts by posting his sun tattoo patterned after revolutionary leader Mariano Alvarez’s faction “Magdiwang” – which was separate from Emilio Aguinaldo’s Customs “Magdalo.”

Magdalo was also the name taken by Trillanes’ group of soldiers when they waged a mutiny against the Arroyo Administration.

“Tattoo ang gustong makita ng isa ‘kong kasama, ito sa akin ‘di naalis!” Sen. Ejercito posted. But he later made clear that the post was meant “to cool off the tension” in the Senate.

Replying to his colleagues’ comments, Trillanes said, “That’s very unfortunate. Aren’t they interested to know definitively that the son of the President, who is the architect of the bloody War on Drugs, is not a member of a drug smuggling syndicate?”

He, on the other hand, noted as “good thing” the “evasive demeanor” of Duterte.

“(It) could simply conclude that the allegations are true. As far they concerned, kung walang tinatago o hindi totoo, bakit ayaw ipakita ang tattoo at ayaw pumirma ng waiver,” Trillanes said, referring to Duterte’s refusal to sign the bank waivers in dispute to his claim that the vice mayor kept 1104 million in various bank accounts.

Vice Mayor Duterte and his brother-inlaw Manases “Mans” Carpio, appeared at the Senate probe but denied their involvement in corruption at the BOC, as well as the supposed “Davao Group” that allegedly facilitates smuggling activities.

Sen. Richard Gordon, who leads the Senate inquiry on the seized shabu, said he will no longer invite the two in the next hearing on Monday.