Mayor Sara willing to appear before Senate
DAVAO CITY – Presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio yesterday said she was willing to appear before the Senate should a subpoena be issued against her in connection with a resolution filed by opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, seeking an investigation into alleged undisclosed bank transactions entered into by her and her father Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
“I respect the authority of the Senate as part of the legislative branch of the government. If there is a subpoena – but if it’s just an invitation, I don’t think I will attend. But if it’s a subpoena with a penalty of contempt, then I will go,” Duterte said on the sidelines of the ceremonial signing of the Davao City-Kauai, Hawaii sister city agreement at the Marco Polo Hotel Davao here Monday.
But Duterte maintained that Trillanes, a strong critic of the Duterte administration, was lying as he could not disclose the source of the supposed bank documents that he said contained the alleged transactions in the Dutertes’ joint bank accounts.
“I think I’m starting to believe the rumors about that he’s getting hooked on something because there is no other explanation for his obsession with President Duterte. He is lying,” she said.
Duterte added that she not inclined to file a case against Trillanes for his accusations as she respected his opinion and that believed in democracy.
“I still respect crazy people,” she said.
She noted that the opposition senator cited a certain Joseph Demesa at the height of the presidential campaign in 2016 as the source of his documents, and later, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLAC). AMLAC denied being the source of the Trillanes’ bank documents.
“How come he has in his possession purported AMLAC documents. Dito lang nakikita namin he (Here, we can see) is not really making sense,” she said.