PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said on February 16 that he will immediately resign as the country’s president if his staunch critic, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, can prove that he has P2.4 billion undeclared funds in his bank account.
“This I can say, if Trillanes can prove his allegation that I have amassed P2 billion illegally or if that bank account under my name has a total deposit at one time of even just half a billion, I will resign as president immediately,” said Duterte in a video released by state-run RTVM on Thursday evening, February 16.
The President’s statement came after Trillanes revived his allegation that the former had about P2.4 billion in his bank accounts, from 2006 to 2015. The senator also alleged that the money came from illegal activities.
Duterte said the “old and rehashed” claim by Trillanes had already refuted it during the 2016 presidential campaign and the Filipino people even believed in him, as he won the presidential derby despite the allegation.
“This is actually an old and rehashed issue. I have answered this allegation before I became president. The people have already spoken, they have placed me in the office with 16 million votes,” the President said.
“I would advise Trillanes to go to court and file the proper case against me, and advise him further to stop opening his mouth when he has nothing to say anyway,” he added.
Trillanes said the issue may be old but it has not yet been addressed. He even said he would resign if his allegation of Duterte’s undeclared wealth is proven wrong.
Duterte played down the senator’s pronouncement, saying the latter has “nothing to lose” if he gives up his position because he will not have political career when his term ends in 2022.
“Trillanes is on his last term and would have known nothing to lose if he would resign from office, which explains his penchant for always daring president to resign. He actually has no political career after his term in office expires in less than two years,” he said.
‘Not ill-fated, poor like Duterte’
The President said Trillanes should not drag his family in corruption allegations because they are not as “ill-fated” and as “poor” as the senator’s family.
Trillanes, in matrix of supposed bank transactions, said alleged bank accounts named under Duterte include his common-law wife Cielito “Honeylet” Salvador Avanceña (P188 million); his children Paolo (P104 million), Sara (121 million), and Sebastian (P143 million); and his campaign donor Samuel Cang Uy (P118 million).
Duterte explained that it was not questionable that his wife could accumulate such amount because she has a doughnut business for 18 years and is supplying meat in five malls in Davao City.
“This is amusing how Trillanes came out with this accounting. He even included day-to-day banking transactions of my partner Honeylet. This just shows his ignorance with regards to the banking business. The people will have personal businesses,” the President said.
“She has plenty of money because she’s hardworking, unlike you who is ambitious,” he added.
The Chief Executive also said it is no doubt that his daughter Sara has money because she is a lawyer.
He then hit back at Trillanes for allegedly being known in the Senate for using his office to ask for illegal retainers, which has become a “lucrative business” for him.
“Honestly, you are a disgrace. Now, if you’re family is suffering from hunger, do not incriminate us. We are not ill-fated like your family. We are not poor. My father was a governor before and had left something for us. How about you? What’s left for you? Just arrogance,” Duterte said. (SunStar Philippines)
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