Duterte says he “invented” bank account number of Trillanes

September 20, 2017

President Rodrigo Duterte has admitted he "invented" the supposed offshore bank account of opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

Trillanes, a staunch critic of the president, was accompanied by some members of the press to Singapore to prove he did not have bank accounts there as what was initially alleged by Duterte.

Duterte, in an interview on Tuesday night by the state-run People's Television Network, said he modified some of the numbers in the supposed Trillanes' bank account, which he initially revealed to be owned by the senator last Friday night in an interview by the same television network.

During the first interview, he cited Trillanes' alleged several accounts in Singapore and Hong Kong, among others.

Trillanes has said during his Singapore trip, the bank personnel, in front of the media, denied that bank accounts under Antonio Trillanes IV or Antonio Trillanes never existed.

Duterte claimed that Trillanes has been lying about his bank accounts.

"When you lie, you put another lie to cover this lie, then to cover this lie, you put another lie," Duterte said.

Duterte has accused Trillanes of having ill-gotten wealth placed in several foreign banks. He said the funds were accumulated when he was appointed special envoy of then President Benigno Aquino III to China in 2012 shortly after the standoff between Philippine and China vessels in the disputed South China Sea.

Trillanes, in a statement issued Tuesday night after Duterte admitted he lied on the supposed bank account number, said it was "good" that the president admitted that he was a "liar.

"To begin with, he won based on the propaganda and lies," he said.

Duterte has accused Trillanes of having offshore accounts after the latter alleged that presidential son, Davao City Mayor Paolo Duterte, and son-in-law Manases Carpio were involved in the smuggling of P6.4-billion worth of shabu from China last May and alleged corruption at the Bureau of Customs. The younger Duterte and Carpio denied the allegations. Celerina Monte/DMS