OPPOSITION lawmakers said the offer of presidential son Paolo Duterte to resign from his post as Davao City vice mayor should not clear him of allegations that link him to the P6.4-billion shabu shipment from China.
"I respect the decision of Vice Mayor Polong (Paolo's nickname) to resign from his office due to the reasons he stated. It is his right to take certain action when he sees it fit especially concerning a personal issue with his daughter," said Magdalo Partylist Representative Gary Alejano.
"However, it will not erase the fact that the 604 kilograms shabu shipment issue has not been addressed yet and the brains behind have not been identified and arrested," he added.
ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said Duterte should have resigned when he was first linked to the Davao group and the illegal drugs shipment.
"But resignation or no, this should not guarantee that he is free from answering the allegations regarding participation in illegal activities and his accountability for them, should any be found," said Castro.
On Monday, December 25, Duterte resigned out of "delicadeza," citing recent unfortunate events in his life including the accusations linking him to the shabu smuggling case, the circumstances tied with his failed marriage and his heated exchanges with his daughter Isabelle, in social media.
President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to accept the resignation of Paolo, his eldest son.
The younger Duterte was accused of being the brains behind the Davao group, which allegedly facilitates the release of cargoes from the Bureau of Customs in exchange for millions of pesos worth of grease money or tara from importers.
The group was allegedly instrumental in the smuggling of the P6.4-billion drug shipment, which was the subject of a Senate investigation in August.
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has also accused Paolo of being a member of a Chinese drug triad.
The younger Duterte has refused to sign a waiver to open his bank accounts, which Trillanes alleged contain millions of pesos of undeclared wealth. (Keith Calayag/SunStar Philippines)