Duterte slams ‘political ISIS’ Trillanes

DAVAO CITY – President Duterte lashed out at his critic Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, calling him an idiot and a “political ISIS.”

Duterte said the followers of Trillanes were deceived by the senator’s dedication to ignorance.

“He is a political ISIS. He has no talent. He does not even know (the difference) between a Democrat and a member of a (political) party. How can I expect (anything from him) because he lacks talent. He lacks the experience needed to go on (with) life,” Duterte told reporters during the birthday celebration of Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles on Saturday.

Duterte said Trillanes has an IQ of 4 or 6 because of his utter lack of brains, which makes him an idiot.

Comparing Trillanes to the Islamic State, Duterte said the senator had been trying to destroy him and his family by hurling accusations without any proof.

He said Trillanes has not stopped throwing garbage at him and his family dating back to the presidential campaign for the May 2016 elections.

Duterte noted Trillanes initiated the Senate inquiry into the alleged Davao death squad as well as other issues, including the alleged hidden wealth of the Dutertes and the Davao group involved in the smuggling mess at the Bureau of Customs.

Trillanes linked Duterte’s son Vice Mayor Paolo and sonin-law Manases Carpio to the Davao group but they were later cleared by whistleblower and Customs broker Mark Taguba.

Duterte said Trillanes has nothing between his brains.

“He must be – so from a moron to an idiot, I’m telling you, you are an idiot. Because you pretend to just blurt out anything without using your gray matter between your ears, and that is the brain,” Duterte said.

The President said Trillanes, as a political ISIS, should also be held liable for what he has been doing, destroying other people’s names and reputation.

Duterte added Trillanes has cheapened the Senate with what he has been doing.

He mentioned Trillanes figuring in an argument with Sen. Richard Gordon last Thursday.

The quarrel was triggered by Trillanes’ remarks that members of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee were “lawyering” for the family of the President. Trillanes had linked Paolo and Carpio to smuggling at the BOC.

Gordon last week said he intends to submit in plenary a partial report on the inquiry. He is also expected to file this week a resolution seeking an investigation by the Senate ethics committee into Trillanes’ unparliamentary behavior last week.

In the heat of exchange, Gordon accused Trillanes of getting away whenever he launches a coup.

“He (Trillanes) has to pay for these mutinies as Gordon has said. Now Trillanes has to show his worth and prove himself worthy of the struggle. Isn’t it he was slapped and he cried before he surrendered?” Duterte said.

Duterte said Trillanes even looted the Peninsula Hotel in Makati in 2007 not to mention the infamous Oakwood mutiny in 2003.

“He did not even pay for the damage,” the President added.

Duterte said Trillanes could never be considered a national hero for what he had done.

Panic mode

Trillanes, on the other hand, said Duterte is now in “panic mode.”

“President Duterte is panicking because the illegal activities of his family will soon be exposed. That’s why they have billions in banks,” Trillanes said in a statement.

He said he will not “stoop down to the level of name-calling” after Duterte described him as a “political ISIS.”

Trillanes maintained it was because of the Davao group, some P6.4 billion worth of shabu slipped into the country last May.

He said his allegations were based on the testimony of Taguba, the Customs broker who testified during inquiry into the drug smuggling conducted by Gordon’s committee.

Trillanes claimed Taguba was pressured to deny tagging the younger Duterte and Carpio on the smuggling mess.

On Gordon’s move to report out the smuggling, Trillanes said he would question the committee report and vowed a showdown with his colleagues over calls to have him sanctioned.

He said the preliminary report would only give credence to his statements last week that the committee was bent on clearing Duterte and Carpio.

“I’ll just ask him (Gordon): ‘Do you know who’s the mastermind of the Davao group?’ He doesn’t because he’s protecting them,” Trillanes told dzBB.

He said Gordon has been subtly making threats against Taguba, who allegedly facilitated shipment of the drugs, to make sure he does not implicate the Duterte family.

Trillanes stressed there was nothing unethical in his actions even as he expressed doubt that Gordon will be able to muster more than three to four signatories to have his resolution passed.

Senators from the majority bloc led by Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III will be holding a closed-door caucus today ostensibly to discuss legislative priorities.

However, some senators believe Gordon’s ethics complaint as well as the preliminary report of the Blue Ribbon committee will weigh heavily in the meeting.