MALACAÑANG on Friday taunted Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for hurling "baseless" allegations against presidential son and son-in-law, Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and lawyer Manases Carpio.
Speaking to Palace reporters, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella took a swipe at a "particular one," apparently referring to Trillanes, over unfounded claims that Duterte was a member of a triad and owned bank accounts containing hundreds of millions of pesos.
Trillanes' allegations were disclosed during the Senate blue ribbon committee's investigation into the entry of P6.4-billion worth of smuggled shabu from China conducted on Thursday, September 7.
"While nearly all senators showed respect for truth and reason, we caution against a particular one who made baseless claims of purported bank accounts and body markings, and then prodded witnesses to disprove his claims instead of presenting validated proofs," Abella said.
"These tactics have been foisted on public and media time, and again, the only way to stop this is to demand proof from anyone making baseless claims," he added.
Both Duterte and Carpio attended the Senate investigation on Thursday to refute claims that they are involved in any illicit activities.
Trillanes, during the hearing, accused Duterte of being a member of a triad, which could be proven by a "colored, dragon-like" tattoo on his back. The presidential son confirmed that he has tattoo on his back but invoked "right to privacy," when asked to show it to public.
The senator also alleged that the Davao City vice mayor, eldest son of President Rodrigo Duterte, had more than P104.28 million in various bank accounts in Davao City.
He meanwhile said that Carpio and presidential daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, meanwhile deposited over P121.1 million in several bank accounts in Davao City and other parts of the country.
The presidential son and son-in-law refused to confirm or deny the supposed existence of the bank accounts, as alleged by Trillanes.
Despite Trillanes' accusations against the two, Abella said the executive branch thanked the Senate panel for allowing Duterte and Carpio to disprove the senator’s allegations.
"We thank the blue ribbon committee for giving Vice Mayor Duterte and Atty. Carpio the chance to debunk baseless allegations," he said.
On Thursday, Abella said it was "pretty drastic" for Duterte to throw such allegations against Duterte's family.
The presidential spokesperson said Trillanes should present "substantial" evidence to support his "very serious" allegation against the President’s son and son-in-law. (VoxPop Philippines)
