Duterte sees Trillanes’ expulsion from Senate

September 13, 2017

President Rodrigo Duterte has said he could see Senator Antonio Trillanes IV's expulsion in the Senate coming.

In an interview on Tuesday night in Taguig City, Duterte slammed anew Trillanes, his staunch critic, for fishing evidence against him and his son, Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, from their mouth.

"That's the problem with someone who is not a lawyer, and then he's acting like a bright person, he's as if he's angry, acting like a brave man. You see, (Senator Richard) Gordon wants him expelled," he said.

"It (expulsion) might come because of his behavior," Duterte added.

Trillanes and Gordon had heated argument in one of the hearings in the Senate regarding the entry of a P6.4 billion shabu shipment into the country. Duterte's son, Paolo, and son-in-law, Manases Carpio, were being linked into the drug shipment, which the two denied.

Gordon moved for Trillanes' expulsion.

Duterte said if he was a senator, he could also be expelled because of his big mouth.

Trillanes has accused Paolo of being a member of a drug triad as could be seen from his alleged colored dragon-like tattoo on his back. While Paolo admitted having a tattoo on his back, he refused to show it during a Senate inquiry as he invoked his right to privacy.

Apparently irked with Trillanes' allegation against his son, Duterte has accused Trillanes of having several bank accounts, with a Chinese national as co-account holder, in Hong Kong, Australia and the United States.

Trillanes has issued waivers on his supposed offshore bank accounts so that the government, including the Anti-Money Laundering Council, could look into them.

Trillanes challenged Duterte and Paolo to sign waivers into their bank accounts to prove his allegation t they have ill-gotten wealth.

Even if Trillanes signed waivers on his bank accounts, Duterte said the banks still would not allow to look into them because the waivers also need the approval of the Chinese co-depositor.

"Trillanes thinks that really people are ignorant. All the accounts are joint accounts, he has a Chinese partner. So even if he signs a waiver, if the co-signer does not, nothing will happen. And the bank would never, never name who is the partner. We got it, well, a foreign government supplied that," he said.

He claimed Trillanes was the one lying.

"He (Trillanes) has perfected the art of crime," he said, adding his administration is building a case against Trillanes.

On Trillanes' challenge that he signs a waiver in order to look into detailed bank transactions, Duterte said, "if Trillanes wants to find something of fault with me, tell him, 'go somewhere else and fly a kite.'

"In the same manner that if he wants to get evidence, do not get it from my mouth. You must be stupid, even if it is true or false. Why would I give you the pleasure?," he stressed.

In his accusation against the senator, Duterte said, "I had to go to lengths of requesting from contacts."

He also hit back at Trillanes, who told him that he should consult a psychiatrist.

Duterte sarcastically said he consulted one, who happened to be Trillanes' psychiatrist.

He said he was told by the psychiatrist he had "stage one insanity," whereas his other patient, who happened to be Trillanes, has "stage three" insanity. Celerina Monte/DMS