Trillanes not buying Tiu’s emotional address

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Antonio Trillanes IV was unfazed by Chinese-Filipino businessman Antonio Tiu’s emotional public address on Wednesday, saying it would not stop them from going after him.

“Well pasensya na lang Mr. Tiu kasi hindi ako nadala sa drama n’ya.  Sa akin, hahabulin namin s’ya, we’ll get to the bottom of this. Lahat ng magiging part ng cover up ay mananagot, at kasama s’ya du’n,”  Trillanes said during a press conference at the Senate.

(Sorry, but I was not swayed by Mr. Tiu’s dramatic antic. We will still go after him, and we’ll get to the bottom of this. Those who are part of the cover up will be held responsible, and that includes him.

Businessman Antonio Tiu. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

Trillanes was reacting to Tiu’s press conference where he lambasted the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee for allegedly subjecting him to ridicule and insults when he appeared twice in its investigation into the Makati City Hall 2 parking building.

The businessman was said to be the dummy of Vice President Jejomar Binay for his controversial property in Rosario town, Batangas but both have repeatedly denied the allegation.

Trillanes pointed out that Tiu was only dragged into the controversy when he came out and claimed that the  property belonged to him, and not to the Vice President.

During the hearings, however, the senator said the businessman was only able to present one document, a memorandum of agreement, to prove that he had supposedly bought the property from its previous owner.

As to Tiu’s claim that the Batangas property had nothing to do with the subcommittee’s  investigation into the Makati City Hall 2 parking building, Trillanes then pointed to former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto  Mercado’s   testimony  in the hearings  that the alleged kickbacks by Binay’s family when he was still the city mayor went to the property.

“Ang connection naman n’ya (Tiu) d’yan kasi humarap s’ya e. Nag claim s’ya  na s’ya ang may ari pero now  we have already established na dummy lang s’ya,”  Trillanes said.

(His connection in the issue only stemmed from his appearance. He claimed that he owns the property, but now, we have already established that he is just a dummy.)

The senator also contradicted the businessman’s claim that  he was ridiculed and insulted when he faced the Senate probe.

“Hindi naman, kung merong naging problema dito, he made a fool out of himself by lying through his teeth and the whole county saw that. Hindi n’ya na mababgo ‘yun. Hindi ko na kagagawan ‘yun, s’ya ‘yung nangsisinungaling. Nagpakita sya ng one page document, e sino bang maniniwala du’n?” he said.

(No, I don’t think so. If there’s a problem here, it’s because he a fool out of himself by lying through his teeth, and the whole country saw that. He can never change that. That was not my doing; he was the one who lied. He showed us a one-page document, but who believes that?)

Trilanes also denied sending threats to Tiu  supposedly to warn him of the consequences if  he would not cooperate in the ongoing  investigation against Binay.

“Definitely not, hindi ko s’ya kelangang saktan. In fact, early on, I reached out para nga ma-save s’ya kaso apparently kasama s’ya sa cover-up,” he said.

(Definitely not. I do not have to harm him. In fact, early on, I reached out to him to spare him from all of these, but apparently, he was included in the cover-up.)

If indeed there were security threats, the senator said it would not come from them, saying it would probably  come from the Vice President’s  camp.

“Walang reason to harm him. My doors are still open  kung magsasabi s’ya ng totoo. In fact, pa s’yang maging state witness kung magsasabi s’ya ng totoo,” Trillanes  added.

(I have no reason to harm him. My doors are still open should he decide to finally tell the truth. In fact, he can still be a state witness if he tells the truth.

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