MALACAÑANG on Tuesday stood by President Rodrigo Duterte's earlier pronouncement that his staunch critic, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, owned a bank account in Singapore.
Speaking to Palace reporters, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the Chief Executive made a scrutiny on Trillanes' purported closed account in Singapore.
Abella made the statement after Trillanes flew to Singapore to debunk Duterte's allegation against him.
The presidential spokesperson said Trillanes' claim still needs to be validated.
"It (Trillanes' claim that he does not own bank account in Singapore) has to be verified," Abella said in a chance interview.
"If he (Trillanes) makes any such claim, those things have to be verified and apparently, like we said, the President already checked into the background of that particular account," he added.
On September 15, Duterte claimed he had "existing slips" that would prove that Trillanes has a bank account in Singapore before he eventually decided to close it.
Duterte revealed that Trillanes' Singapore BDS bank account number 17800296013 had a balance of 193,000. He, however, did not mention the particular currency.
He said the bank account in Singapore was allegedly owned by Antonio Fuentes Trillanes, the senator's "complete name."
"There are many Antonio Trillanes -- the 3rd, the 2nd, and Antonio Trillanes Jr. He might say, 'That's not mine.' Because what was signed was just under the name of Antonio Trillanes. He could say, 'That's not mine because there are many Antonio Trillanes in other areas,'" the President said in an interview aired on PTV4.
"Maybe this is the reason why he is willing to sign a bank waiver. Because no four or number four on the name of Antonio Trillanes. But the date of birth and account owner has been confirmed [as his]," he added.
Trillanes, Duterte's most fiery critic, arrived early Tuesday morning at the DBS branch in Alexandra Road to inquire about the supposed bank account he owned, as alleged by the President.
Upon his inquiry, Trillanes was reportedly told by the bank teller that "there's no such account."
Abella, however, said that the Palace would "just stick to the facts" despite the senator's claim.
"I cannot speculate on his (Trillanes) intentions. Just stick to the facts. Apparently, it was there and then it was closed. If that's the case, I will have to check on that," he said. (SunStar Philippines)