Trillanes dared to show proof of corruption
President Duterte is willing to reveal his bank records within the context of due process and “not in response to grandstanding” to dispel doubts about his alleged massive wealth.
Malacañang said this yesterday after Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV renewed his allegations of corruption against the President which he raised for the first time during the last days of the 2016 election campaign.
In an early press conference at the Senate yesterday, Trillanes reiterated the President has a bank deposit in the amount of 12 billion from 2006 to 2015 and challenged the Chief Executive to make public these accounts to prove he has no ill-gotten wealth.
“It has been months since
the President’s camp has postponed the release of the President’s bank transactions and I am still waiting to be proven wrong,” Trillanes said. “I am reiterating my challenge to President Duterte to release the transaction history of his bank accounts and if my allegations are proven wrong, I would immediately resign as senator,” he stressed.
“I will not back out,” Trillanes said of his vow to resign from the Senate.
Intel funds? The 12.2 billion bank account reportedly came from the annual 11-billion intelligence fund of Davao City when he was the mayor.
Trillanes said based on bank documents supplied by a concerned citizen, Duterte’s campaign contributor, Samuel “Sammy” Uy who is in the export/import business, gave almost 1120 million to several members of the Duterte family from 2011 to 2013.
The Duterte family members, based on the documents released by Trillanes, are Sebastian Zimmerman Duterte (1143 million), Paolo Zimmerman Duterte (1104.2 million), Sara Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio (1121.9 million), and Cielito “Honeylet” Salvador Avancena (1187.59 million). Avancena is Duterte’s partner.
“The President has been vocal on his campaign against corruption, but how can we expect him to solve this problem when he himself had questionable amounts of money in his accounts which he never declared in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN)?” he asked. Show proof Sara dared: “If Trillanes can show where my alleged P121 million is right now and how it became illegal, kunin natin at ibigay ko sa inyo lahat (let us get it and give it to all of you).”
The Davao City mayor said there is nothing to hide.
“Wala akong postura labas sa kung ano ang nakikita ng lahat. I never pretended to be what I am not,” she added.
“I read the press statement of Trillanes and the challenge to answer the allegations was addressed to the President. Lets us allow PRD (President Rodrigo Duterte) to decide on how he wants this issue to go down,” she added.
Rehash
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella brushed aside Trillanes’ corruption allegations as a “rehash” of an old issue that has been previously addressed and called Trillanes’ latest stunt as “part of the noise of the political landscape.”
“I think the good senator should devote his time to more serious issues rather than these things,” he added.
“The President is really faced with tremendous, humongous challenges in nation-building and he has better things to do in his time than explain something that has already gone through in the past,” Abella said in another interview.
In his 2015 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN), the former Davao City mayor had reported a net worth of 123.5 million, which was 11.5 million higher from 2014 wealth. His SALN showed he has four residential lots in Davao City, two vehicles, and 114.8 million in cash on hand and bank.
Bum steers
Sen. Alan Peter S. Cayetano, a political ally of President Duterte said Trillanes is allowing himself to be a “battering ram” of persons who are against the reform programs of President Duterte.
“Wittingly or unwittingly, Senator Trillanes is allowing himself to be used by these persons (behind the illegal drug trade and illegal gambling operations). He is their battering ram. Panay kuryente bigay sa kanya (all he is given are bum steers),” he added.
After failing to be picked by Duterte as his vice presidential candidate in the May 2016 elections, Trillanes has been trying to undermine the President as he did during the campaign where he has yet to explain the source of the 120 million for his TV commercials to hit then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Cayetano said.
“He (Trillanes) cannot explain where he got the money and who were his supporters during the campaign who were willing to pay tens of millions of pesos just to put up negative advertisement (against Duterte). Up to now he has not declared who are these,” he added.
If the documents on Duterte’s alleged 12.2-billion bank accounts are complete, Trillanes should have exposed these before June 31, 2016 when Duterte was not yet covered by presidential immunity, Cayetano added (With a report from Yas D. Ocampo)