Duterte says Trillanes’ evidence vs son, son-in-law is ‘trash’

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte, speaking to soldiers in his home city, said on Friday, September 1, opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has nothing but “trash” as supposed evidence in allegations of corruption against his son and son-in-law.

“Don’t mind Trillanes because all he’s feeding us are trash,” he said in his speech at the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) here.

Trillanes has accused presidential son Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and presidential son-in-law Manases “Mans” Carpio of involvement in smuggling at at the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

The senator alleged that both had transactions with a BOC “fixer,” with several text messages as his proof. He also said Carpio, husband of presidential daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, had visited several times the office of then-BOC Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon. 

Carpio has replied to such claim, saying he has had business with the BOC because of his job as a lawyer.

Before reading his speech at the Eastern Mindanao Command Friday, Duterte had some words defending his son-in-law – the second time he has done so in a few days.

“Lawyering is lawyering. For whatever reason, whether because of the amount of fee involved, it’s really like that,” Duterte said in a mix of English and Filipino

The President took a swipe against Trillanes, whom he said have had many things to say against him since the start of the campaign period. “Since the election period he’s been like that.”

During the 2016 campaign period, Trillanes accused Duterte of holding over P2.4 billion worth of deposits in a Bank of the Philippine Islands bank account, and which the then-Davao City mayor had not declared in his assets list. 

In connection with the Senate probe into drug smuggling and corruption in the customs bureau, Senate blue ribbon committee chairman Richard Gordon has threatened to file an ethics complaint against Trillanes for how the latter conducted himself in the last hearing on Thursday, August 31. – Rappler.com